“How to save a Saturday from certain disaster”
Or
“When the clouds are gray above your head, take a dive up and find the sun”
Some days are difficult.
For no particular reason.
You have trouble waking up on time.
You struggle to tie your shoelaces to go for a run.
You avoid looking at your face in the mirror.
You send a message to your friend to cancel dinner tonight.
You make a good excuse so he can’t blame you.
But the truth is right there in front of you.
You can’t carry the day upon your shoulders.
It’s a dark Saturday of February but it could be any day.
The idea of staying home all day with only one route: sofa, fridge, bed, sofa … seems very possible.
Suddenly a few rays of sunlight come in scanty from the kitchen window.
The cute birdie is looking for seeds in the pots on the balcony but in vain.
It can’t see the big ball of seeds you bought for it hanging on the fig tree.
Looks like it’s getting cold, this tiny little balloon made of feathers.
I want to hold it and spend the whole Saturday with it.
But some seconds later the little robin steps away and you’re sad.
You hurriedly close your laptop but you grab your phone.
On Instagram, everything seems absolutely boring. Especially your photos.
For the next ten minutes your eyes are glued on page 24 of the book you’re reading.
You can’t concentrate. You close it.
You look for the vinyl records. You search persistently.
You find what you want. You carefully remove the disc from the cover. You insert the needle and…
Sade
By your side
„………….You think I’d leave your side, baby
You know me better than that
You think I’d leave you down
When you’re down on your knees
I wouldn’t do that
I’ll tell you you’re right when you want
And if only you could see into me
Oh, when you’re cold
I’ll be there
Hold you tight to me……..“
You make a calculation and along with the loved ones that come to mind…
….you realize that the only one you will always have on your side… is yourself.
That’s who you’ll walk with and that is the absolute truth.
You let the music play and run for a quick shower.
Of course, you sing in the bathroom.
The lines you don’t remember… you turn them into “lalalala “.
Who cares?
You now shine fresh in front of the mirror.
You put on your favourite clothes.
You get on your bike and run.
The huge scarf unfurls and the wind threatens to lift you to the sky.
Some happy colourful tourists with lots of luggage check-in at the Zürich boutique hotels around the Opera house.
On the long downhill, the hand releases the brake and enjoys the pleasure of insecurity.
You arrive at the little harbour of Burkliplatz
At the last moment, with the last passengers, you enter the steamer.
You have chosen in random the destination.
A village on the edge of the east side of the lake.
The water is dark, almost black and everything seems so cold.
But a red seat on the deck is waiting for you.
Your face is cold, your cheeks are red but you’re warm inside.
Not planning.
Not having expectations.
The steamer’s horn warns at every stop.
In the Spring or Summer, these boats are one of the biggest Zurich tourist attractions.
But in February …
Pensioners, climbers, a few cyclists, a priest and me.
The heterogeneity has always pleased and moved me.
I disembarked in the small town of
It could have been a large Swiss village.
I have heard of the famous rose gardens of Rapperswil but in Winter I can’t find any beautiful rose.
The Alps around here are snow-covered.
Castles and capuchin monasteries in the hills.
Some murals testify to the eternal struggle for supremacy of religions.
Between Catholics and Protestants of course.
{On this occasion, I make a note in my notebook that I absolutely must go and see the film “Belfast” by Kenneth Branagh. Let’s go for the oscar Kenneth }
Climbing the stairs of the castle in my imagination … a famous Züricher mayor, 800 years ago wrestling with an Austrian duke.
They take out their swords and…
Out of immense love for the country I live in, I put the first one to win, but I’m not sure if that’s what actually happened.
Do you do that?
Do you make up imaginary war scenarios?
With yourself? Your friends?
Word-Swords
Verbal shots and egocentric sensationalism?
Of course, I do and the winner is always me.
The Altstadt (old town) is a little fairy tale.
I take a few strolls through the little alleys.
I don’t buy anything from the little shops with odd and unimportant objects although I touch some of them with curiosity.
Small nice little cafes catch my attention.
I know the coffee will be from mediocre to bad but I choose one of them for its fresh pastries.
I order tea, ignoring the cups of coffee, whipped cream, and cinnamon.
I look at the regulars. I imagine them being born and growing old in this small town.
The rhythms are indescribably slow.
The time to turn a newspaper page from one side to the other is plentiful.
A pear tart beckons me from afar.
I can’t resist it.
The days are getting longer.
I’m thinking of returning to Zurich by train.
The journey takes 40 minutes. On the way back I dream of visiting a museum.
I want to end this Saturday with a walk through the rooms of the
The Swiss museum of industrial design and visual communication.
The times I have visited it are countless.
A magnificent building from 1933 that exemplifies the Modern Architecture movement in Switzerland.
Not so big but mighty.
If you’re a typography/design lover, it’s a must-see when in Zurich. There is a small exhibition on posters which I love.
The Poster Collection comprises 330,000 posters and documents the international history of the poster from its mid-19th-century origins to the present day.
The collection includes political, cultural, and commercial posters.
The real magic happens when you think you’re done and you go to the basement level: endless drawers full of Swiss-type, poster, illustration, branding, and packaging design. I spent a few hours looking at every single one of them.
I am looking with pleasure at an old poster from the 30s. The Swiss school of graphic designers was in the ascendant then.
I stand with joy in front of the colors and lines for more than five minutes.
This feeling that Art (Kunst in German) offers us …is salutary.
In difficult times, even the contact with a child’s drawing made of watercolors, makes you feel magical.
In the colorfully perfectly designed café of the museum ….
I recognize in myself the big step.
That, unlike old times, I do not allow myself to surrender to depression.
It’s not always easy to save a day and we certainly don’t all have the same strengths.
The same starting point ..or environment to escape.
But it’s worth keeping a little song in mind.
A little phrase that reminds us that only we are the masters of ourselves.
If we manage to put on one shoe, then maybe we can put on the other…
And from there we can get on a bicycle…
and from there on a boat… and a train… and find ourselves in small or big towns and old castles.
In enormous mountains and colorful museums that we will always love to return to.
Happy Saturday little Robins!
