My mind is full of jam.

We discovered this public garden where blackberries grow freely on a rainy day. 

The crazy though of gathering enough for a jam crossed my mind but it was rainy and we didn't have any recipients with us.

He walked me to the train station next day, said goodbye and I left. Not for the train station but went back to blackberry heaven with the clear thought of picking enough for a jar of jam (you know that beautifully colored jelly you find in supermarkets, seed free and sweet as hell)

 

First you're going to pick the fruit. They are beautiful little creatures. Nature decided to gather up tiny blobs of pure delight, paint them black and call them....ahmm....blackberries. As for humans who want jam, all you have to do is give it time. Blackberries are naughty creatures and it takes time to get them together in an orderly pile in your bag.

Nature has a very nice way of putting things together as well. So you'll find nettle grows beautifully near shrubs of blackberry. Just to test how determined jam driven humans can be.
It takes a lot of time and you're alone. You start thinking that if someone passes through the garden they will at least say you're nuts. You look weird wearing boyfriend's fluffy but superwarm socks*, animal print hooded rain coat and 2 supermarket bags just to make sure the brazen creatures won't escape and stain everything around them. 

You even think about quitting. You told nobody about this idea so nobody can witness your failure.

And then something nice happens. You stop thinking. You know you'll make it. All it takes is patience and keeping your eye on the jar.

You will eventually manage to get a kilogram together. Your pinkie will be a bit numb from the nettle. But it will feel like fireworks light the sky spelling Welldone.

Got home and felt very creative. Instead of 900 gr of sugar, I added only 250. My jam is not very sweet and it's seedy but it tastes like victory.

Maybe we should make jam more often, just to learn about embracing whatever the process with a patient mind, not worrying about how we might look in the eyes of others while we're pursuing our crazy ideas, ready to get our hands numbed from whatever nettle we might come across.

Keep it real.

I moved to London 6 months ago, leaving a lot behind. A lot of my clothes, books, tools. The only thing I truly miss is my cat. 

You learn that you don't need a lot to be happy. You don't need two pairs of fins and 3 googles to be able to swim. You don't need all those boxes with small things you gathered all these years. You don't need all the books. You don't need all your clothes. You don't need that tshirt you bought years ago but never managed to give it away just because.

There comes a time when you need to stop doing the things you do. Especially when those things are nothing but noise. Especially when there's too much useless information coming at you from all directions. Our brains are not equipped for all this busy modern life we're living.

Stop, take a break and declutter.

You don't use it? You don't need it. 

I started with the luminous rectangles almost a month ago - deleted all the games from my iPhone. Then deleted a lot of apps that buzzed me with notifications but that I never really used. Trust me, you don't need a lot of free apps tracking your workouts, you need a good payed one.

Kept my games and books on the iPad that always stays offline. Offline time is always good time.

Mail was next so I unsubscribed from all the useless newsletters feeding me information I didn't use or need.

Maybe marketing should forget about newsletters and think about something new. They didn't make me buy anything or love the brand.

When it came to facebook, I had 2 choices, either delete the account but then again I use their messenger app to keep in touch with my real friends. So the obvious solution was to unfriend everyone I never met, or met but never really got to be personal or people that are not in my life anymore. Keeping it real. So I got from 2020 facebook friends to 600 people I know or I'm interested in what they do, or simply I just like them.

And it feels fucking great. Facebook is again only for friends, for sharing silly little things that amuse me and maybe the people I know.

Back to blog for sharing thoughts or inspiration. Back to soundcloud to discover new music. Back to newsreaders where I carefully curate what I read. Back to books. Back to more offline life. 

And I hate those sites that teach you how to make your life happier in 10 easy steps. I have no idea what works for you when it comes to decluttering and making your life easier and tastier. I'm simply sharing what works for me.

You go and have an awesome weekend. I know I am.