BALAGAN (Hebrew בלגן)
It’s quiet here on my channel. Not because there are no topics I could report on. On the contrary: there are too many – I can’t get them sorted! In Hebrew you say ‘balagan’ – which means chaos/mess. It all starts with the death of my brother, who died suddenly at the end of 2022. I…
PUZZLE PIECE.
There are things that are sacred to me. Because they have a special meaning. Like the laying of my grandmother’s Holocaust memorial stone in Neubrandenburg in June – just before I go to Israel for a month. The organisers in Neubrandenburg invite me to give a speech in honour of my grandmother. And I sense that…
HAPPINESS HORMONES.
It’s Friday morning and I’ll be on Israeli soil in less than 24 hours. I’ve been on a happiness hormone rush for over a week now – smiling the whole day and grinning like a Cheshire cat. What will it be like when I return on 29 June – after almost 9 months – to the…
SPIDER MONKEY.
A few weeks ago, I learnt how hard it is to let go of something you’ve been longing for months. Because acutally, I would be in Tel Aviv right now, sitting in my favourite café. Or cruising along the beach promenade on my bike – with music playing in my ears. Maybe I’d even be on…
DIGNITY.
For me, dignity means recognising my own worth and living accordingly. That was a long learning process for me. Because the way I grew up, I always believed that I had to give and do a lot in order to be liked and respected. I always hoped that my helpfulness, love and dedication to others would…
BEAUTIFUL HEART.
A young man stands in the village square and announces that he has the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathers around him and everyone marvels at his heart. It looks perfect. Not a scratch, not even the slightest dent. Everyone agrees that this is the most beautiful heart they have ever…
WAR AND PEACE.
It’s a sunny Saturday morning. Perfect for a visit to a flea market. I get on my bike and set off. Right behind a roundabout, two pedestrians cross a zebra crossing on the left. As I have such good speed, I steer my bike to the right. At that moment a third pedestrian comes from the…
MELODY OF THE HEART.
“Ulrike, what’s your wish for 2024?” a friend asked me a few days ago. It’s funny, despite having a list of goals and a vision board, I’m not able to answer the question short and crisp. After all, how am I supposed to reduce everything that is important to me to a “top wish”? What is…
TREASURE HUNTING.
Two months ago, on 8 October 2023, I was stuck at Tel Aviv airport and struggled to get a flight home. The solidarity and compassion I received that day and the following days was overwhelming. And I dedicate this blog article to those people who lovingly accompanied me during these hours: Friends, relatives, acquaintances, clients, neighbours,…
GRIEF AND HOPE…
… was the title of the book in which the granddaughter of Yitzchak Rabin, peacemaker and prime minister of Israel, processed her pain over the murder of her “Saba” (Hebrew for “grandfather”) in Tel Aviv in 1995. I have no clue why the book I read 25 years ago comes to my mind now… Possibly because…
TAKE COVER.
On my last day of my trip to Israel, I learn what it means to take cover. It’s Saturday morning, 7.30am and I am about to leave my flat as I want to walk along the beach once more… When I hear sirens. I look at my mobile phone and see a message from my friend:…
SLIPPERY.
It’s always fascinating what interesting slippery slopes life serves me, which I can grow from: In 2016, I very consciously specialised in coaching women in leadership positions. In the meantime, a few male clients who want to grow – and take responsibility for their lives – have also found me. The other day I sat in…
EXCLUSION.
Today I am writing about a feeling that I would prefer not to feel: shame! Brené Brown writes in one of her books: “If we become sufficiently aware of shame to be able to name and express it, we deprive it of its basis of existence. Shame hates to be put into words.” Alright, Mrs Brown,…
SOUL JOURNEY.
On Tuesday, I am in Jerusalem and want to walk through the ultra-Orthodox district of Mea Shearim. A friend from Tel Aviv recommends that I conform to the code of conduct of ultra-orthodox women: Cover hair and arms, long skirt, muted colours, nude nylon stockings and closed shoes. Because nothing on a woman’s body should attract…
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD.
Interesting how your view of things changes when you look at them again from a distance. Tel Aviv in summer 2023: my 3rd stay within 12 months. Yes, I still love this country, the culture, the sensuality and the savoir-vivre of the Israelis. And at the same time, I realise more and more that not all…
HEAVEN & EARTH
I am currently in a process of “inner confusion”. It feels like hanging between heaven and earth – still in the process of realising that my brother is no longer there. My mind refuses to fully realise the fact. A protective reaction of my psyche I suppose. Apparently, such a shock can only be absorbed in…
VULNERABILITY.
I’m spending a weekend in the Bergisch Country, in a hotel with a large spa area. What I’m particularly looking forward to is lying around in a cosy hotel bathrobe, taking a sauna, whirlpool and steam bath and slumbering on the comfortable hotel loungers. Before I start, I want to take a quick shower opening the…
LET GO.
I’m learning to be patient these days. Jesus, what a hard thing for me to do. For weeks I’ve been looking for a place to stay in Tel Aviv for the summer months. Through a few local contacts I thought I was safe. But I can’t get the flats I want. And the flats I could…
CHILDHOOD FLASHBACK.
The past few weeks have been quite challenging for me. I already described it in my last article. You are not prepared for grief. Grief is like a weed that forces its way through the joints. Persistent, merciless and difficult to regulate. I always take time out to retrace everything and allow this uncomfortable feeling of…
FLY HOME BROTHER HEART.
On December 26th, my brother Christian said goodbye to this life. Just like that. All of a sudden. In his mid-50s. The doctors at the hospital tried to resuscitate him for 40 minutes. Horrible to imagine! As a child, I admired my big brother. He was a really cool guy and I was very proud of…
SELF-DETERMINATION
The year 2022 is drawing to a close and I look back exhausted on a wild roller coaster ride: curves that are fun, descents that are scary. Loops that I sometimes find cool and sometimes extremely unpleasant. I take it all in — lament the lows and celebrate the highs. And I feel like I’m getting…
POST ISRAEL SYNDROME
A few days ago, I accidentally sent my Tel Aviv September newsletter a second time to my subscribers. Wow, I was so pissed off. Especially at myself, because I obviously triggered the dispatch myself. I just can’t get on with the handling of my new newsletter tool. Nor with the fact that I’m back in Germany….
THE BEAUTY OF OUR DREAMS
It’s September 25th and I’m sitting in my favourite café in Tel Aviv. The last time I was in this magical place was 11 weeks ago. The fact that I set off again and gave up my yoga retreat in Croatia for it amazes my myself. My alibi: to work remotely from here. In order to…
SEE WITH YOUR HEART.
After my last two articles just flowed out of me, I feel pretty stuck at the moment. Like a ship that has run aground. It doesn’t go forward and it doesn’t go back. Normally I can rely on new impulses for my blog articles appearing at intervals of 3–4 weeks, which become so concrete after a…
I AM HERE, AND EVERYTHING IS NOW.
Jerusalem! My first destination on this sunny July morning is the Mount of Olives, with a view of the Dome of the Rock and the approximately 3000-year-old Jewish cemetery. I have been sitting here for an hour, enjoying this surreal panorama – and the silence inside me. An indescribably beautiful feeling that I have never felt…
ISRAEL, PLACE OF POWER.
There are places that nourish our souls. For some, it is the hammock in grandma’s garden that awakens positive memories and conveys a deep sense of security. For another, it is the stiff breeze that slams into the sail and requires a quick manoeuvre. The place of power of one of my clients is a park…
LA FAMIGLIA.
My friend’s husband is turning 50 and we are planning a surprise party. It’s still early in the evening and summery warm. Everyone brings their loved ones and their favourite food for the buffet. It feels familiar because the people present are exactly the same people who were at my friends’ wedding four years ago. The…
FEEL.
Each of us carries yin and yang energies within us in varying degrees of strength. We need both energies, the feminine and the masculine, to live a balanced life. For as long as I can remember, my life has been about responsibility, discipline, achievement and performance. In other words, classic masculine yang attributes. Please don’t misunderstand….