SPECIAL ISSUE #11

WHEN YOU TALK TO PEOPLE

Have I ever mentioned that I am hopelessly curious and like to understand things? A rhetorical question, I know but as new subscribers sign up - thank you for joining me on this crazy journey - it may be new to them.

I had the joy and privilege to spend Easter in St. Peter Ording this year - a stunningly beautiful village at the North Sea in the north of Germany. There is no mask mandate here any longer and thankfully seeing people voluntarily wear the rags here (at least outside) is rare…

But yes, they still exist - the mask evangelists - and even in stunningly beautiful sunshine some people seem to prefer to cover and duck in broad daylight (I might be mixing something up here). The woman actually managed to take her nappy off after a while but the man didn’t. Admittedly I did not wait until they got their food order but he only briefly pulled down his mask to drink and quickly pulled it up again - mind-boggling!

In his defence, perhaps he is a celebrity that does not want to be recognized, or he is cheating on his spouse and doesn’t want to be recognized, or he is just a hysteric lunatic that just won’t come out of his psychosis. My guess is the latter.

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The village is rather crowded over Easter - this is one of the most popular vacation spots in Germany - and in most shops and restaurants the people working there are also still wearing masks. As I am curious (have I mentioned that?) I needed to ask a few of them why they still wear them although it is, at least by law, not required any longer. The answers are, let’s call them interesting. They vary from:

a. We have to because the owner insists we “lead by example”.

b. The people coming here expect us to protect them (wtf).

c. We wear them to protect ourselves from the tourists (perhaps they mean terrorists threatening them with their bio weapons - their bad breath).

d. The funniest though was that they would wear them until Easter Monday and starting on Tuesday it would be safe to take them off. They could not tell me why though so my curiosity could not really be satisfied - bummer!

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The federal states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Hamburg have become the last bastions of mask supporters by voluntarily declaring themselves hot-spots and are mercilessly enforcing it. In order to get into the Lufthansa Lounge, I am actually expected to put on an FFP2 mask - which I don't have and don't want to wear. I am refused access. A medical mask is not enough here and they even threaten to call airport security to expel me from the airport. I am stunned. But since I want and need to go home - it's my son's birthday tomorrow - I unfortunately have no choice but to comply and buy a hopelessly overpriced mask (miraculously you do not have to wear one to purchase one - someone please rescue me from this madness). Everything in me screams that it's just wrong and since I can be as stubborn as a donkey, it's correspondingly difficult for me to be "good". It is simply ridiculous and leaves me with an unpleasant feeling. So don’t think less of me for giving in (this time) and wish me a good flight!

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🎶My Song of the Day

For more good music, go to this Spotify playlist where you can find all the songs from the Change & Evolve Letters!

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📚My Poem of the Day

is by Eliza and Sarah Wolcott

An Exhortation to Patience

It is a thorny path we tread,
Where disappointments come;
Then we are mingled with the dead,
And cover'd in the tomb.

Our fondest hopes are blighted here,
For earth is not our home;
Then o'er frail life we drop a tear,
And welcome then the tomb.

To-day the sun is bright and clear,
To morrow clouds may come;
Yet though no change to us appear,
We are hastening to the tomb.

Look then on life as lent awhile,
To gain a heavenly home,
Where Jesus meets us with a smile,
Who once perfum'd the tomb.

For us a crown of thorns He wore,
His soul was fill'd with gloom,
Then led believers evermore,
To triumph o'er the tomb.

When to the cross His hands were nail'd,
And the dread hour was come,
His glorious mission never fail'd,
He conquer'd then the tomb.

Then let us wait with patience here,
Our Conqueror soon will come;
The trump shall sound, the dead shall hear,
And live beyond the tomb.

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👀Impressions

Here some impression of St. Peter Ording

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Wishing you all a happy Easter and show your beautiful faces!

Yours

Tanja 🤗