Join Now
ferhaan 
4:01pm, January 7, 2009
In my last entry I promised to revisit the topic of my increased energy levels after my holiday.
The obvious reason is going on holiday. Being away from home is good for me. It makes me realize how much time I spend at home and how important it is to get out of the house regularly. At the moment that's easy, I'm out at the play ground almost everyday with my son or we go into town to have an ice cream and watch the world go by. Summer is definitely my favorite time of the year.
This trip to SA made realize how Dutch and European I am and how proud I am of that fact. Up to now I felt 'mainly' Dutch (with a dash of South African ;-). I have a big family over there and lots of homes, but the country itself is not home. Holland is. Reaching this realization has given me peace of mind, it's something I do not have to ponder anymore.
But I think the biggest contributor to my energy boost is feeling wanted by others besides my wife and son. Uncles, aunts and cousins were very happy to see ME and I was glad to see them. And there were a few I spent more time with and was able to support in their troubles. I had not felt so useful in a while. Since I'm back I have been able to do a lot of DIY jobs around the house and it that is satisfying. But I get more energy being around people whose company I enjoy.
I want to end this journal entry with a quote I found during my holiday. It is a quote from the greatest South African, Nelson Mandela. When I read it, I knew I had to share it with my friends on DS, who heroically live with the beast called RA:
"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
