Thinking about slowing down life’s pace. Trying to find a better balance. From Préveranges to Morges, the beautiful lake Leman is the background of these reflections about slow life.
Switzerland, beautiful Switzerland. This is the place where I’m spending July and August this year. I’m staying in a village near Lausanne, on the shore of the lake Leman.
What I like the most about this place is the proximity of the lake. I have told you already that I love water places, right? Water relaxes me, gives me energy, helps me to disconnect. When I need to get fresh air or take a break from work, I go to the lake.
My starting point is always the park of Préveranges. It’s a green area with a park for children and grills for a barbecue. On weekends it’s crowded with people having a picnic.
Sometimes I come to the park to work. I find a shade under a tree and sit on the grass. I like having the views of the lake, it’s beautiful. Though I must say that it’s not very comfortable, after one hour or so everything hurts. Then I pack my things and go for a walk.
On the left of the park there is a small estuary with boats. I cannot resist the temptation to get my camera and take some photos of the boats. Look at these reflections! Click. Oh, and look at the sailing boats on the other side of the lake, and the red motor boat. Click. Hey! The clouds look nice. Click.
I leave the estuary behind and walk in direction to Morges, the next village. I have the lake Leman on the left. I look at the pirate ship, which is always floating in the middle of the lake. I think it’s a boat for touristic tours, but I’ve never seen it working. It’s always there, taking rest on the water. It’s a big, old wooden ship with two masts. It’s a beautiful ship, much bigger than the local’s sailing boats. Looks majestic.
I take many photos of it. First from far, then I zoom. I think about the post I might write. Maybe I should take a vertical photo for pinterest. Maybe I could take this one and cut it square for instagram.
Buuuut… waaaaait!
Post, pinterest, instagram… wasn’t I having a walk to take a break?
Since I have this travel blog every time I’m in a new place I’m attentive to photos to take and stories to tell. So… am I working or I am taking rest?
Travel is my hobby but part of my work is to write about travel. Everything gets mixed. Confused. It’s funny because I go for a walk to disconnect, but I take my camera and think of future posts and social media shares. I laugh about it.
I guess that’s what happens when you do something you like.
I decide to move on and focus on the moment, pay attention to the things that happen around me.
The weather is strange. Fluffy white clouds and menacing grey clouds dance together on the sky, while the sun observes from behind. It looks beautiful. And in spite of the clouds and the wind, it’s hot.
I follow the lake towards Morges. There’s many people. I hear them talking in French, English, German and other languages I cannot identify. It’s holidays time and there’s a hotel nearby. Some of them walk like me. Others run, bike or walk the dog. Some couples sit on the rocks looking at the lake. A few sit alone and seem lost in their thoughts.
As I approach Morges I notice that there are many flowers on the side of the path. I stop to look at a bee drinking nectar from a flower. I try to take a photo but it moves before I set the camera. I smile as the bee flies away.
There are ducks in the lake Leman. From time to time they turn upside down and I can only see their legs and tail moving and pointing to the sky. They look so funny!
I’m still taking many photos. I remember a person who left a comment in instagram asking for pictures of Switzerland. Well, I didn’t manage to disconnect but at least I got plenty of them!
The first thing I see when I reach Morges is the church. I decide to leave the lake shore and go to the pedestrian street. It’s the most charming street in Morges.
I find a fountain which has been decorated with music note symbols. It’s so original that, again, I cannot resist to get my camera. While I go around the fountain searching for the best angle, I realize that a man is observing me. He gestures me to join him on the bench where he’s sitting.
Always curious about these random encounters, I go.
He asks me why I’m taking so many photos. I feel shy and don’t know if mentioning my blog. At the end I say that they’re for me, because I like that street.
He talks in French in a strange way and it’s difficult for me to fully understand everything he says. But I think he told me that the street is beautiful, yes, but it’s only a facade. It’s not real life. It’s not the same inside. If I want real life photos, I should go to the lake shore and observe people there.
He asks me where I’m from and tells me that he knows someone who lives in Barcelona. He notices that I have problems to understand him and tells me that he could speak English and German in the past. But he had a problem in the brain, had to be operated and lost everything.
Like this, all of a sudden.
He had to learn to talk again, from the beginning. That’s why it’s difficult for him to pronounce certain sounds.
We keep talking until the bell tower reminds me that it’s getting late. I say good bye and go back to the lake. I walk a bit more, until the castle, and turn around. The sky has turned pink and purple, and it’s getting dark.
On the way back I think about the man I met. This could happen to anyone. Anything might happen any time. We should discover which kind of life we want, and work towards our dreams. Now.
But there’s more, I realize. It’s not only about what we want to do with our lifes. It’s also about how we do it.
I decided to quit my previous job because I didn’t want to live a stressful live. I chose this path of uncertainty because I wanted freedom. Freedom to have my own schedule, to decide my tasks, to select my location, to work and travel at the same time.
That’s why I started to work online. And I love it, I love my blog and the other projects I’m working on. I like it so much that I’m always thinking about it, having new ideas. Which is great, of course, but it’s also exhausting because I don’t manage to disconnect.
I’m sure there must be a better way to do it. I need to find a better balance. I need to slow down.
And I’m not the only one.
Have you heard about the “slow movement”? It’s about slowing down life’s pace. Connecting. Being present. Finding balance.
This is going to be my challenge for the next months: finding a balance. Re start meditation. Go for a walk and leave my camera behind. Do things I like which are not connected to my work. And, of course, keep exploring beautiful Switzerland!
It’s not only about what we do with our lifes, it’s also about how we do it.
Do you manage to find a balance between your professional and personal life? I’d like to hear from you in the comments!
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This post is part of Jo’s Monday walks.
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Sounds like an interesting encounter Laia and its nice that you were open to talking to a stranger. Not everyone would.
Everyone has to make their own way in the world, we’re all different. As long as we are happy and can provide for ourselves without creating hardship on others. Freedom also means providing for ourselves (I know a few people who consider themselves “free’ while mooching off their parents. HA!)
I spent only a little time in Switzerland but remember a few days spent in Montreux looking out at the lake with the mountains in the background. Beautiful spot.
Frank (bbqboy)
Yes, definetely! I completely agree that freedom also means providing for ourselves. Good point.
I visited Montreux recently and it’s also a great place!
Thank you so much for the link, Laia 🙂 It’s such a beautiful place for a walk. 🙂 I had your post in my Inbox to read when I get a moment that’s not answering comments. The nice weather means I’m outdoors much more than usual and blogging time suffers. But the weather won’t last much longer. I rather envy you, strolling by the lake and wondering what’s work and what isn’t. 🙂
You’re welcome Jo, I really enjoy your Monday walks (sorry for the delay, I don’t know how I forgot to answer all these comments!).
Of course you should be outdoors and enjoy the nice weather while possible! In Switzerland it also rains quite a lot (at least compared to Barcelona) so I try to go out when the weather is nice 🙂
Hi Laia, thanks once more for these amazing pictures. They are, as always great to see.
It seems that you enjoy taking pictures and it helps when you relax in Switzerland. That is what I I have also been thinking about the balance between personal and professional life. I am not sure there is actually a distinction.
Most people think there is because they do not like their work so much, so they always keep a border between them. Between 9AM and 5PM they are one person, and then the rest of the day, they become somebody else. That looks a bit schizophrenic.
If you like what you do, and you follow it day by day, there is no problem to mix your personal and professional life because it is always yourself. If you lake to take pictures and think how you can put it on a post or instagram, there is nothing wrong with that, because you enjoy it. You will make excellent pictures because you like it, and you will make better posts because you can use better pictures. Again, I do not see a contradiction.
Thank you so much Diana! It’s a good point that separating personal and professional life is more important when you don’t like your job. I enjoy what I do and I’m always the same person. And yes, walking and taking photos – even if it’s part of work – actually helps me to relax 🙂
Guapa que bonita experiencia, la gente con la que uno se topa en el camino suele dejarnos grandes aprendizajes, es impresionante.
Me quedo con esta hermosa frase que has colocado en tu post: “We should discover which kind of life we want, and work towards our dreams. Now.”
Porque no es fácil luchar y trabajar por nuestros sueños, pero es lo que más nos acerca a ser auténticos, a estar felices y en paz con nosotras mismas 🙂
Sobre tu pregunta, te diré que a mi me ayuda mucho leer cosas que nada tienen que ver con mi “trabajo”, desconectar con la lectura es para mi la mejor terapia. También lo está salir a caminar y observar a la gente. Sentarme en un parque a simplemente “ver” sin pensar en nada, pénsandolo todo, pero sobre todo estándo presente, consciente de el ruido, los olores, los colores, las emociones y sensaciones.
El equilibrio creo que lo he encontrado en hacer lo que me apasiona pero no durante muchas horas, sino en fracciones de tiempo, dejando espacio para otros hobbies, para mi misma, para leer, para ver o escuchar y para hacer cosas “aburridas” como ver televisión o escuchar un programa de radio 🙂
No sé, algo así me funciona, pero no todas las semanas, es algo que debe ir cambiando, según como cambias tú misma 🙂
Un abrazo precioso y sigue en ese camino, estoy segura que encontrarás tu método y tu manera de “hacer las cosas” que te funcione y vaya bien contigo 🙂
Muchas gracias por tu aporte guapa 🙂
Cuánto se aprende de la gente que uno se topa por el camino, ¿verdad?
Ahhh creo que aquí está la clave, hacer lo que nos apasiona pero no durante muchas horas. Seguir dejando espacio para otros hobbies y para nosotras mismas. Tendré que ponerme algún recordatorio porque cuando me pongo a trabajar me olvido de descansar 😛
Un abrazo
Laia it´s difficult to me find a balance between my proffesional and personal life too. Something in your post touched me, because I feel the same about my blog and my daily life. Is not possible to me think of my blog while doing other activities. I try to enjoy every moment to them serve me like an inspiration.
I understand you, it´s not easy to take some beautiful pictures when you´re in a place like Switzerland, and then don´t know what to do with them.
Regards!
Thanks Eliana! It’s good to know that I’m not the only one trying to find a better balance. But I’m sure we’ll find it!
Regards!