Happy birthday to me…
Inspiration Shot July 2020
There we are. I’ve been 50 for a few days now. It’s official. It’s a bit weird because I still feel like I am 35. I put on some ‘serious’ clothes this morning for my Zoom calls. Let’s see if it makes a difference? 🙂
In this ‘inspiration shot’, I offer you some insights from ‘the fifties’ and an update about the birthday gift I gave myself: an olive grove in Puglia…
Insights from ‘the fifties’
To my surprise, I have noticed that turning 50 is a quite special phase of life. The day before my birthday, I had a sudden moment of insight: for the first time, I have the feeling that on the inside I feel everything that I have learned and achieved in my life so far. Not the ‘outside’ version; suddenly everything seemed to be internalized. A special sense of satisfaction and pride. After my birthday party, I was so overwhelmed with all the sweet messages and beautiful people that I couldn’t even record a normal video anymore. You can see in this video message how all the warmth and love surrounding me really affected me.
In recent months there has also been another process going on under the surface. I started looking at how I can consolidate all the knowledge I have acquired so far and make it available, without always having to transfer it myself. I’m recording videos for a book writing course and a Digital Nomad course (yeah!). I’ve also just finished another book (‘This is how you write a book‘ in Dutch, the English version will follow shortly), and have many more plans. For my birthday I also gave myself a project that makes me very happy: an olive grove in Puglia …
We are all captain of our own ship…
A plot of land to ‘ground’ myself
In February I bought a plot of land with an olive grove and an old ‘Trullo’ house on it in Puglia; the heel of the boot of Italy. Due to Corona, I was only able to return to the notary last week to finalize the purchase. It was quite an event because you have to prove that you speak Italian well enough. Three months of DuoLingo had given me a bit of a foundation but had not prepared me for an hour of ‘speed-Italian’ from the notary, who was also wearing a face-mask. Apparently, I nodded and answered at the right time, so that I could finally sign. 🙂
It feels wonderful to explore ‘my’ land, get to know my trees, and make plans for the restoration of the old Trullo. I can’t believe that a family with 3 children lived in this single room cabin without water, heating, electricity or a toilet! I’m going to restore it to its original state, but with a few modern conveniences. Who knows, maybe it will be a writing cabin, a holiday home, or a retreat that I may (one day; it is still Italy…) rent out.
To get an impression, please join the Facebook Live tour that I recorded on my land and in the Trullo.
And the winner is… me!
For the past four weeks, I have been giving away gifts to my followers every single day. On the evening of my 50th birthday, just after the party, I was so overwhelmed with beautiful reactions from lovely people that my brain stopped working. This is all I could give for that day’s video:
The giveaway of my best work seemed like the most fun way to celebrate my 50th birthday. Are you participating yet? There are still many great prizes to be won. You can sign up for a gift every day for the next three weeks: estherjacobs.info/birthday
Did you know...?
… that my teeth used to grow in all directions?!? 🙂 I called them my ‘witches teeth’. You can see that in this picture with my favorite dog Waldo. Fortunately, it all worked out and I am now looking at this great picture of little Esther with a big smile.
I wish I could talk to her for a moment, tell her all about what’s to come, and give her the advice that she should always rely on herself. I actually did that ten years ago in this ‘letter to my younger self‘. Writing a letter to your younger ‘me’ is highly recommended. It’s fun to do and it gives great insights.
Where is Esther?
I will be in Amsterdam for the next two months. Or so I think. You never know, of course. I could still just hop on a plane (or train or boat) to go somewhere else. But at this stage, all the trips that I had planned are canceled. The next trip is my writing retreat in Mallorca in October and I am really looking forward to that!
Meanwhile, there are all these ‘experiences’ that my friends have offered me for my birthday. Much more fun than ‘ordinary’ gifts, for which I have no place as a digital nomad and minimalist. I have made an exception for one ‘thing’: I now have a real plant: a beautiful lemon tree on the balcony of my ‘tiny house apartment’. Will that help me to ‘land’ and ‘ground’ myself? 🙂
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