How to begin?
When I first thought where is my sanctuary I was thinking about places. And why would I go there? Or better ask when? Do I want it? Or do I need it? And many more questions came to my mind. At some point even answers started to form in my head and just like that, with a plop they were gone again.
So I decided I need to relax and take my mind of it, the answer will come to me eventually. And whenever I hit that stage in a thought process, I start making music.
Oh, there it is. The answer. Uh, and another one. With every beat, with every chord, this post took shape. Now I just hope I don't lose it until it's all typed out. 😉
We are all the same and yet different
Yes, we all are human. We have a lot of things in common. And yet, there are some things different, the little details, that make us special.
One of the common things is, we all need is a sanctuary. For some it is a place, for others an activity. Some people find it in their heads, others in their garden. And the most underrated but most valuable sanctuary is other people.
But why do we need it? Because we are human. We need to take a break from the world every now and then. We are stressed, we are exhausted, we are unhappy, we are tired, and so on. Whenever we encounter those feelings, we need to balance them. We need to relax, take a break, be happy and get rest. For that we need our sanctuary.
Know your sanctuary
The key for a healthy balance of those emotions is to know your sanctuary. But that is not easy. It comes naturally for a child, especially young ones. The need to hug a parent, to cuddle a stuffed animal, to sing a song, to hide under the bed are just a few examples of a child seeking its sanctuary.
But the older we get the more complicated the world and with it our problems get. We cannot do those things anymore or hide under the bed as our sanctuary. We develop new ones and most of the time we don't realize it while it's happening. Only after our new sanctuary is established we slowly realize how it feels good to take a walk, be at a certain place or do an activity.
And sometimes this process is flawed. There is no new sanctuary. But by learning from others we might find one.
My Sanctuaries
From all my sanctuaries (yes, I have more than one) I want to share three of them with you. Maybe it helps even one person out there still looking for theirs.
Making Music
I spoiled it a little up there, so don't be surprised. 😁
I taught myself to play the guitar when I was 13 years old, that was a long time ago. I never took it to a professional level, never played a gig. I only play for myself (or sometimes for my family). Why is that? Because it is my sanctuary. When I play for others there are expectations to fill and that beats the purpose of cutting off the rest of the world. I play when I want to isolate myself, to let my thoughts flow.
During Corona lock-down I decided to add the drums to my repertoire. I started with a relatively cheap e-drum set but found it serves a distinct purpose the guitar cannot (at least for me). I also emerge into the music, drumming along to the music. But with the drums I channel up excessive energy from negative experiences of the day and let it out.
My Garden
When we moved out to the countryside I first experience our garden as work to be done. Over time it developed into a sanctuary for me. First of all I can just sit down and enjoy nature. Secondly I grow vegetables and flowers there. I feed the birds and enjoy watching them from the window (so they don't see me as a threat). This sanctuary pushes my self esteem because it gives me the feeling of making a difference on this world.
Before I had a garden, when we were living in an apartment in the city, I had potted plants to take care of. I still do. I care for them, watch them grow, sometimes into bloom.
My Family
I will limit myself to one example. But whom to pick? It was a tough choice.
Remember, I mentioned the kids hugging their parents? It works both ways. Whenever my son wants to cuddle I can feel him relaxing in my arms. The world is less scary if you have someone to hug. And that relaxes me as well. Seeing the world through his eyes when he asks the questions of why, when and what about all things around us, it makes me reconsider my own thinking. I embrace the joy I see on his face from the (mostly simple) things in life.
Do not limit yourself
So as you can see, a sanctuary can take many forms. Three of mine are an activity, a place and a person. It is an important part of our live that must not be underestimated for the health of our mind and body. So do not limit yourself.
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Oh wow! There is something you said that got to me...
I guess that is why I haven't been truly interested in taking up a career in music. It is just for me, a safe place. My home is also my sanctuary and my home is not a place. It is a person. My Mother!
I came in through Dreemport!
That is so nice to read. It was a struggle for me to admit this point but now I'm not alone anymore with that intention of making music for myself.
So glad you still have your mother also as a sanctuary, I lost mine many years ago. My best to you and your family.
Oh my God... I'm so sorry. 😢. I hope you have peace in your heart...❤️
Good thing you did not lose your flow and got to finish the post. I think that is so frustrating when it just goes poof midway. I guess a simple way to think of sanctuary in our daily lives is to identify the quiet and content times and what the source is. I wonder if you combine gardening with music? Maybe a little garden studio? !PIZZA !LOLZ
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Hi, thank you for the twitter share and the tokens 😊
You're close, I listen to audio books while taking care of my garden 😉
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Sanctuary is the safe house where you are having only positive vibes for yourself. No one is allowed to intrude to disturb, by the way, haven't you thought some ears (apart from family and you )should listen to some melodies. Hehe, I would love to listen to such guitarist who has been flourishing this talent from the age of 13 years.
Aww, it's cute to know that you consider your garden within your sanctuary too hehe. Wrote a comment three times 🥺 but Ecency remained troubleshooting so forget how further I have to say. Thanks for dropping it on Dreemport.
Thank you.
Well, since I never took lessons, it was all aquired in an autodidact way and I never practices with the goal of performing for others I don't think my playing would be that good.
Uhmm... Now, you got me thinking, "what's my sanctuary? 🤔
Ha.... I remember.... I have a lot of them. Both positive and negative ones... Hehehehe.
And one of them is my booookkkks.
And you have lots of them too. Your garden, your family, music, and you mentioned books too in my post.... Amazing.
I hope everyone figures out what their sanctuary is. So, they can always go there when the need arises.
Ah, thank you for stopping by.
Yes, books are one of the big ones for me as well. Getting emerged into another world like Bastian in The Neverending Story feels very peaceful compared to the real world.
But like every writer I had to cut it down somehow. Three is such a magic number ;-)
somehow, I think I can relate to what you are trying to say. I think every writer have had their share lol
A sanctuary can be in any form, true. We, humans, are a sanctuary too.
I agree. Comes close to the latin saying Mens sana in corpore sano and going back to the original meaning of sanctuary as a holy place to be worshiped, what's more sacred to our own spirit and soul than the body it resides in...?
I agree with you on the fact that we all need a Sanctuary, somewhere to run to when we are tired physically, mentally, and even spiritually.
Some hobbies and passions serve as Sanctuary, the family can't be omitted for many and I find so much comfort in nature whenever I am mentally stressed. Our sanctuaries might be different but their impact on us is the same, they help us get refreshed.
It is astonishing how it all is balanced somehow. I think you just inspired me to another article, thank you for that.
The balance of things and how the mindset of some people urges them to balance other things out if they are out of balance. All that as part of the balancing process.
Your sanctuary/sanctuaries are beautiful. I love that you have so many and that they change according to what you need at the time. Also, how lovely that you ventured inside one of your sanctuaries to make writing this post possible.
Hi 😊
Uh, how nice of you to notice. Thank you.
Yes I can relate with the hugging of loved ones as a way of having sanctuary in that person. It can be a person as you said because one can make you feel everything is alright and cool.
Woah, playing guitar could help too?? But eventually we could still venture back into our reality and this world...it sucks though but you have your moments then...it's refreshing!
I came in through #dreemport.
Thanks for sharing this with us...🤍
Thank you for those kind words.
Yes, indeed. Once you reached that point (and it's not that hard as you might think) where you can improvise you can just left it flow, put a backing track on the headphones and let your feelings out through the music. Really, not that hard. Daily practice and you reach that point in ~2 months.
Even faster with drums, you can accompany your first song within your first lesson and start mixing it up with fill-ins within a week or so.
Give it a try 😉
Haha I can't say I would try.
I might never try hehe because am not a drummer neither am I a singer...Infact I have a bad voice lol...
Thanks 🙃
I can relate to having more than one sanctuary!
Making music is a great one as is your garden and of course your family!
Enjoy your weekend and popped in from dreemport today:)
Thank you, I plan to :-)
I wish you a nice weekend as well.
Thanks for that :)
I loved how you didn't just describe your sanctuaries, Hannes, but you also added some layers as to the why...so it wasn't just about the joy of the drums but also that it would not have been the same if you were forced to perform for an audience. And your garden is not just the place of sanctuary but also impacts your sense of self-esteem, and with your son, you really connect emotionally with the relationship and let us into that world. You have some beautiful instances of sanctuary in your life and are truly blessed. !PIZZA !ALIVE
Hi Sam, my first Dreemer 😄
Thank you very much for stopping by, whenever I see you replying or liking my post it reminds me of you first commenting to me.
And you still retain the ability to make me blush a little bit.
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Thank you 🤗
It's great to find comfort in different forms :) How did you decide to choose only three?
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Thank you.
A limit had to be set. Choosing only one, I could not do that. List all of them? Too many. Few more places (e.g. I live near a beach), activities (e.g. listening to music, reading, listening to audio-books) and people (e.g. my wife, my sister, my best friend). So I went for three. Three is such a magic number in counting and limiting.
All that being said, the order in which I placed them in my post is not based on value, rather on privacy and exposure (from most private to most open).
Very well done, and a great response, three is indeed magical 🙌
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Congrats @hannes-stoffel for your Sanctuary. Love your pitch. Hannes, if you know of any 'yoga tech' people in your area of the world, I want to start a DAO and I need to meet people for this matter. I found that there aren't that many 'yoga people' who are interrested in this new econony largely named the BlockChain where we can give away part of our assets. I'm not getting any younger too :-)
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