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Kicking and Falling
Exactly 17 years ago I passed my black belt exam in Taekwondo. I had taken up Taekwondo a few years earlier, for a simple reason: My neighbour wanted to do it and persuaded me to come along. I stayed. We were only a handful of students and communication posed a challenge (smartphones and translation apps… Continue reading
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Happy Easter!
Easter symbolises peace, joy and new life. It’s a reminder that there is always light after darkness. Warmest springtime wishes to everyone! Continue reading
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Ramadan Kareem!
Wishing a blessed Ramadan to all my Muslim friends. May this month bring you joy and happiness. And most of all: peace. Continue reading
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Courage
Exactly five years ago I asked my daughter’s riding instructor whether it was a foolish idea to learn to ride at the age of almost 47. I can’t remember the exact answer, but just a few days later I was sitting on a horse. After an hour I was completely exhausted, overjoyed – and regretted… Continue reading
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Patience
“You’re trying too hard again”, a training partner remarked last summer, when I was getting annoyed with myself for not understanding a new technique straight away. In our fast-paced world, we count in minutes and seconds what we measured in hours or days just a few years ago. Our society is characterised by quick results,… Continue reading
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Merry Christmas
to everyone who celebrates. May we all embrace compassion, mercy and forgiveness in a world of violence. Wishing you joy and peace and happiness! Continue reading
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Conflict
Conflicts are as old as humankind and will be found wherever people come together. The causes of individual disputes may be complex, but there is usually a winner and a loser in the end. Winning usually happens at the expense of the loser and losing often means subjugation to the other party. Martial Arts itself… Continue reading
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Trust
“Of course you don’t trust him. You never trust a horse. You trust yourself”, said my riding instructor some years ago, when I mentioned lack of faith while trying to find the stop button on a very forward-going, big former sporthorse. A few weeks later I had a hard time controlling a clever ex-racehorse. “She… Continue reading
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The Crack in the Wall
“Why can’t you just let it happen? Only once?” Sensei asked last summer, a bit desperately, when I let myself fall on the ground again without waiting to get out of balance. I didn’t have an answer, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I realised that all our life we are constantly told to… Continue reading
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Awareness
Horses can feel human heartbeat from more than one metre away. That’s because in the herd horses synchronise their pulse. As soon as the heartbeat of one animal jumps up, the whole herd goes into a state of alert and can respond to danger quickly. Horses sense human tension and will respond with being stressed.… Continue reading
About Me
I am Andrea, amateur photographer and outdoor enthusiast. I am a horse rider, a hiker, a mountain climber and nature lover. As an Austrian living in the Middle East for more than twenty years I am also a wanderer between two worlds, a multilingual language-nerd living in a multicultural environment. I am passionate about leading an active life and life-long learning – I took up horse-riding in my late forties and Aikido at fifty. I want to inspire people to learn new things, stay active and keep their minds open. You are never too old!
AndreaZ 