Ongrowing - All the love of the Universe
A reflection from my time in Austria
I was traveling in Austria last week.
We first landed in Zurich, but our journey in Austria began in St. Anton, a small village that is often referred to as the “cradle of alpine skiing”. There, we stayed with my friend’s family in a chalet where you can almost ski in and out of. Each day consisted of four main activities: skiing, sauna-ing, cooking, and eating. Although, I must admit, we most likely spent more time in the kitchen, cutting up onions and grating parmesan cheese, than on the mountains skiing.
An hour by train and a few hours drive later, we arrived in Hallstatt, a lakeside town in Austria's mountainous Salzkammergut region. There, we stayed right next to the lake where we could spy and watch the swans and the ducks do their thing. During the day, the town was a hotspot for tourists from all over; we overheard people speaking Korean, Cantonese, Spanish, and even Thai. During the night, the town was silent. Inside our room, all you can hear was the pitter-patters of the rain and the whispers of our breath.
While our stay was relatively short, every city we stayed in managed to show us varying weathers. It rained and it shined, and it rained and it shined. Maybe because it was the cusp of Spring, maybe it just happened the week that we were there. But what I realized was:
The constant is the inconstant.
If anything, expect change and embrace impermanence. Nothing lasts forever, whether that’s the rain or the sunshine. On the surface, this sounds a little scary. There is much more romance in the eternal, the permanence, the happily-ever-after’s compared to their counterparts.
But, I think, to cling onto the illusion of things lasting forever would only bring us disappointment, and at the heart of it all, life cannot exist without both the rain and the sun. These changes in conditions are what sustain life. A lesson learned:
Be at peace with the unexpected.
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I was fascinated by Vienna. Throughout the city, you can find the intersection of old and new, contemporary and tradition. Urban green spaces are nested between historic palaces and museums. A vinyl bar is located a few steps away from a classical concert venue. It seems that the city is not afraid of polar opposites co-existing. You can be a tuxedo-wearing violinist playing Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D Major or a braid-wearing barista geeking out on Mor Lam music. To me, it feels that you can be whoever you are and still belong.
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At one particular restaurant I dined at, I stumbled upon a message, disguised as a beautifully designed and crafted Austrian Pinot Blanc. The label says,
What if… this wine bottle actually stores a liquid form of all the love of the universe?
What if… you sipped and tasted and now, inside you, lies all the love of the universe?
Or what if I tell you that within all of us, we already have all the love of the universe?
What does that feel like?
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A space to inspire - Fürth Kaffee x Café Comet
A note to leave you with - “Understand that life is for you and never against you”
With all the love of the universe,
Fair
Thank you for sharing your life with us, Fair. Your reflections feel deliciously spacious and full of gratitude. Much appreciation 🙏🏾🌹