After sitting in silence for a while, listening to the birds weaving their polyphonic magic - sharing pure joy of life and beauty with all -, watching the colours of the night sky shift from blue-greyish into a mesmerising kaleidoscope of pink and red and orange and yellow, I looked into the flowing water and thought of the many lessons and insights the rivers, streams, oceans, waterways on this planet have taught me over the years. I feel huge gratitude for it.

"The river holds many lessons", I said. "It has taught me and will teach you a lot, beyond words. It taught me about how to shift mountains, for instance, simply by persevering..."

We were quiet for a few moments, then my son said: "It taught me a lot already... that there are fast stretches and slow ones, and that all you need to do is go with the flow. It takes a lot of energy to go upstream, while it's much easier to go with the flow."

​Happy solstice!

n‘academically’), to get “a good job” (usually this translates into ‘well-paid’), to live a “happy life” (usually this translates into ‘financial security’), then I wonder if they really will find what they are looking for when going down the road that society around them models – and sadly, I meet many who don’t. I also feel sad, when I see so many young women feeling “restless”, “inadequate”, “like missing something essential”/”empty”, longing for community, for a nurturing space – like we all do.
 
All the roles mentioned before are not only important, they are essential for a healthy and thriving community. 
It’s time to shift the “money myth” and to see the community value and benefit in things and activities that are not directly linked to a monetary outcome.
It’s time to value and acknowledge people who donate their energies to the community/to humanity in various different ways: as volunteers in various forms, as activists, as philosophers, as artists, as elders, as young ones, as meditators, contemplators, visionaries, as mums and dads.
It's time to allow them to share their gifts with the community by actively supporting them. There are many opportunities and examples of how we can do this: creating collaborative, cooperative models to support each other (Buen vivir, Care, Commons, Ecommony, Shareconomy, Gift economy (another example here), etc.), establishing a basic income (see recent Finland experiment), slowing things down and opening pathways for open communication, mutual sharing and nurturing in many areas. I see inspiring initiatives spring forth everywhere, and I am sure we can and will come up with many more solutions to concretely create an infrastructure to allow for shifts to happen and to welcome and integrate community-oriented values and skills.
 
I am a mum of a daughter, and want her to see her value, no matter of her degree, certification, external factors and social/cultural rankings. This is my wish for everybody! We all have to give something – whatever that “thing” might be, it is of value for the whole. We might not see it at first. We might have to develop it. But it’s always there.
However, I met and meet a lot of people who seem to think they are “not enough” or they do not “earn enough” (money).
A lot of women sometimes struggle and feel “inadequate” because they are not earning (enough) money. They feel like they are not “good enough”, even though they are doing amazing things for their community: raising children, doing voluntary work to benefit their community, putting their energy and heart into campaigning for the well-being of the planet, creating beauty and insights, etc. etc. etc. – in short: they pour a lot of energy into nurturing the balance, beauty and well-being of their community and life in general. What could be more important and valuable for humanity?
 
If you feel inadequate, restless, “not enough” in whatever way sometimes or if you know a mum who does, please consider the following:
 
Being a mum (no matter of how many/few children!) is a full-time job. Actually, it is more than your usual full-time job as it isn’t a 9-5, 40-hours-a-week kind of job. It doesn’t stop. The responsibility for a young child is always there. And mum can feel “it” – all the time… As they get older they might not need mum so much anymore on a physical level, however, it is hugely valuable if there is a safe haven, a place to land, to recover, to enjoy when coming back from teenage explorations and life’s turmoil. Holding a nurturing space for children to grow, for family to evolve, includes an amazing variety of tasks: preparing/growing food, creating a safe place, a homely atmosphere, managing tasks and needs and wants, being there and listening, giving advice, supporting the overall growths and development of future citizens physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually - and so much more. In order to do this job, especially in modern-day societies where mums often aren’t supported by their families, community, etc. but left to their own devices, it is, in my view, also necessary that mum holds a space for herself to refuel, regenerate, replenish her energies. Otherwise – and I see this often and know it from my own experience – it is easy to become exhausted and unbalanced. 
 
In my view, being a mum (and dad, of course, but as said before I am focusing on mums here) is one of the most important jobs a human can have. Again: What could be more important for humanity than raising children to become well-balanced happy grown-ups? The important bit here is: well-balanced and happy. This is a huge task in itself and requires a lot. The saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ shows that, ideally, this task is fulfilled by many. However, in any case, “mum” is a very important figure in every child’s life, and in modern societies with single mums on the rise, they are often the center point for a child.
Why is this important role not seen and valued? Why do some mums feel like they are not doing enough in terms of “contributing”? Why are some mums pushed back or “do feel the pressure of having to go back into the workforce” instead of seeing their huge value and, at the same time, being valued and supported in staying at home and/or in giving their energy into projects/work that serves their community? I am not talking about mums here who choose to work in a regular job. I am talking about options and having choices, and about how a mum feels about herself and how mums are valued in society.