This gives me courage! Wir haben uns selbst und andere gefragt: Was macht mir Mut? Wofür brauche ich Mut? Wer ist mutig?
When I think about courage, I instantly think of The Brothers Lionheart.
Moritz, 37
Mother Nature and my family.
Syl, 38
Being embraced and cuddled.
Mien, 5
When I have to face a difficult test, my rabbits encourage me. During the test I think of them. That helps me to distract myself from my fears.
Mara, 10
My sense of humor.
Christian, 52
Flowers! So much effort to look magnificent for such a short time.
Serge, 51
I’ve got a Scurtan cell inside me, you know. It is filled with electrotronics, and so I can encourage myself.
Milo, 4
I’m encouraged when I realize that others are also interested in what I’m concerned with. And when I can help someone. When I experience that I’m able to love. When elements are stronger than myself… Courage multiplies itself.
Dita, 37
Success, being able to handle difficult tasks, recognition from others.
Brigitte, 64
I need courage to accomplish something – but once I’ve finished it, it gives me courage!
Heike, 46
Jumping into the pool!
Ngozi, 5
Good friends.
Reinhard, 62
Springtime!
Ingo, 35
The heart.
Noah, 7
The heart and the mind.
Maia, 8
Often I encourage myself. When others succeed in something, I’m encouraged to try it myself. Animals encourage me.
Andrea, 36
I have more courage whenever Theo is with me. Theo is my plush dog, I like him very much.
Zoltan, 6
Good weather and positive people around me.
Markus, 68
The thought of impermanence. Fellow human beings and also something supernatural, not wanting to call it God.
Michael, 42
I’m encouraged when someone tells me that I can do something. Then I just try and usually I succeed.
Dario, 7
The sense of basic trust.
Sabine, 53
After springtime blooming, my little garden looked desolate. I tidied it bit by bit. How I was delighted once everything was in order again! Pulling oneself together to deal with something, could you call the courage?
Rösli, 92
Listenning to classical music or playing the piano.
Marc, 23
When I’m honored for well done work, I’m encouraged – because then I know I can do something well.
Kaj, 17
Was tröstet dich? Uleshka’s Wonderwall
Before I moved from London to Tokyo at 24, I printed out a lot of pictures of happy moments with my friends and family, because I was super scared of my new uncertain life and needed all the mental support I could get. Whenever I felt lost and lonely (and yes, that happened), I would take out these pictures and really look at them and beam myself back into that moment. Bliss! It worked every time. After a couple of minutes I felt that life on earth wasn’t that bad if you knew that there are people you truly loved. Then I moved to Berlin and life got rough for me. In short: I got depressed and even forgot about what always worked: the photo trick! But at some point I suddenly remembered and a new idea came with it. I now have a long, visible picture shelf in my home where friends and family pictures are mounted on countless, rearrangeable cards. And I keep adding. Even friends keep adding (seems like they want to be part of my «hall of fame») and bring me pictures. This little gratitude boost I get, from tuning into all the amazing things that I have already experienced and people with whom I share my life, simply does wonders to the quality of my life. What I needed was an obvious, visual reminder of what is already good and what is already there. Then I realized that there is no reason to stop with people: there are animals, places, clothes, things that carry a story and that capture a happy, positive moment. Now I even started adding things that haven’t even happened yet, but that I want in my life: pics of visiting South Africa, flying a helicopter, what I want my balcony to look like one day… Projecting where you want to be and what works for you (instead of focussing of where you are stuck) is magic. Try it! You can start by diving into the pics of this Trösterei collection until you have enough energy to print out your own.
Love, Uleshka
On the Hikari from Kyoto to Tokyo I couldn’t help but observing this little family who were sitting on the other side of the aisle on the train: the boy was making faces, while his dad was taking pictures of him & all three of them were roaring with laughter. From time to time the boy would grimace towards me, because he had noticed that I was watching him, and I couldn’t help but giggling and laughing all the time, too, because first of all the boy was REALLY good at making grimaces, and second the family’s laughter was so catching. Eventually they got up to get off the train at the next station… the boy walked down the aisle as Frankenstein’s monster, and then they disappeared.
I continued writing postcards when I suddenly heard someone knocking on the train’s window next to me: it was the little family, and they were making faces for me!!!
Luckily I managed to pull out my camera and get a quick shot of them, just a second before the Shinkansen kept going…
