october 3rd
Today is December 3rd. Which is the day Regina George asked Aaron what day it was, to which he replied with āOctober 3rdā, but itĀ“s also a public holiday in Germany.
I had plans, which I found out got cancelled over breakfast in the morning. I was annoyed, even a bit mad and it took me almost two hours to get out of my negative mindset. I lay down on the couch watching YouTube videos (the only Social Media platform I use sometimes) thinking this is what my day is gonna look like since I had no plans.
Then, out of nowhere, this idea hit me: I can just make new plans (genius, I know!!!)
ItĀ“s been long since I had a whole day just to myself, no responsibilities, nothing to do, which suddenly felt exciting.
I packed my bag with all the essentials I would need to spend a completely unplanned day in the city: the book IĀ“m currently reading (Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, picked it up from the library yesterday and started reading it on the way to work), my mp3 player, water bottle, some snacks (granola bar and banana), my journal, sunglasses, little blanket to sit on. And most importantly, leave my phone at home.
I started heading to a neighboring district that I like to walk around, I also love to stroll around my own neighborhood, but since I walk around here most days, I felt like going somewhere else today. The weather was absolutely perfect, the most beautiful, sunny fall day - leaves turning yellow, orange and red, golden sunlight so Berlin actually looked pretty today despite not being the most beautiful city.
I just walked, admiring buildings and people, walked past a flyer advertising a rock music themed flea market for the upcoming Sunday which seems worth checking out (maybe find a few new CDs), noticed my favorite Falafel place in that district had closed and turned into yet another Matcha shop (honestly, who needs so many of them?)
After a while of walking, I passed by a pasta restaurant celebrating their one year anniversary of being in Berlin, therefore they had a special offer of all pasta dishes being 5ā¬ for the whole week. Since I just started getting hungry and IĀ“m broke, this was perfect timing. I headed in, ordered Tagliatelle Arrabiata and started reading while waiting for the food. Is there a better feeling than reading while waiting for your food to come? I donĀ“t think so. The pasta was made fresh and the tomatoes in the sauce tasted sunny and happy - I think those were very happy tomatoes full of sunlight.
Afterwards, I started craving some time in nature, I love the city a lot but I also need my time in nature, so I went over to my favorite park - I used to live in walking distance to that park and went there every day until I moved to another district. I really really love that park, itĀ“s my favorite place in all of Berlin, and thinking about it now, I would actually love to move back to that district just so I could spent all my time in said park.
The park has a lake, so I sat down by the lake to sunbathe, watch ducks (underrated activity, your head feels calm and makes you smile instantly). Honestly, I love watching ducks, it sounds dumb but feels so therapeutic, I highly recommend watching ducks in your local park.
After enough duck watching, I continued reading. To be honest, I donĀ“t really know if I like the book or not, itĀ“s not boring but at the same time IĀ“m also not intrigued by what could happen. IĀ“m about 120 pages in, so weĀ“ll see how my opinion might change (or stay exactly the same, who knows?)
I spent hours reading in the sun, being completely undisturbed, taking little reading breaks by looking out on the lake daydreaming, continued reading, soaked up the sun, looked at ducks, the perfect day.
At some point I went home, it was already 5:30, now IĀ“m sitting here, cuddled up under a blanket on my couch, drinking a cup of ginger tea and writing this with a heart filled with gratitude after cooking myself a really nice pasta dish (yes, itĀ“s totally okay to eat pasta twice a day if you feel like it!!!) The pasta dish I cooked was spaghetti with a vegan creamy mushroom and onion sauce that I started craving on my way home.
Today might not have been the most thrilling, adventurous day, but it was a day much needed for me - time spent intentionally with myself, doing all the things I love doing with no responsibilities.
I think IĀ“ll end this day by watching the video essay I started watching this morning, also one of my favorite bands just uploaded a new tour vlog which is exciting, so I think IĀ“ll spent the rest of my evening on YouTube. Yes, IĀ“m against Social Media platforms, but I also have days where I catch up on my favorite YouTubers videos, and I think thatĀ“s totally alright as long as IĀ“m making no habit out of it.
This post feels a bit bland, but I donĀ“t have any photos or anything else from today, so hereĀ“s a very plain post about my day.
