A FATHER’S DAY FREEDOM Gambling lingers at the edges of our lives, A strange ritual we pretend to understand.In Spain, it’s tradition, celebration, faith— Millions wagering on possibility. I never felt its pull. Until the day I met her— Ninety-four years old, eyes bright with hope, Lottery tickets clutched in weathered hands. How could I…
Tag: books
“Podunk Tragic Theater”
A Wanderer’s Chronicle: Of Ecological Shops and Cultural Dissonance This morning, I found myself in a quaint ecological shop, where I occasionally indulge in “genuine” eggs and “authentic” wine—as if food requires existential validation. As a conscientious shopper, I’m quite particular about what I put in my Harrods bag (wink, wink)—only whole foods will do….
” The Hidden Currency of Power”
Petals and Power: A Dutch Mother’s Domain This morning, I listened to a fellow columnist narrate her piece about waking up to financial vulnerability – that dreaded moment when the ceiling stares back at you while an elephant sits on your chest, mocking your economic dependence.She railed against the seeming failure of 1970s feminism, lamenting…
“Once Upon a Time”
Ah, the naivety of youth – when I was young, blonde, and thought I had the world figured out.Now I’m older, wiser, and still not hideous enough to scare small children. Progress, I suppose. Picture this: a Dutch ingénue in a land where “progress” was a fancy word people used when they wanted to sound…
Duchess of Defiance
The Ebb and Flow of Oerkracht: A Journey of Generosity and Self-Discovery Oh, delightful – another tale of self-discovery dressed in Dutch vernacular (after all I am Dutch). My ‘oerkracht,’ they say – because apparently ‘life force’ wasn’t quite exotic enough. This term, with its unique Dutch force, resonates deeply with my personal journey of…
“When Names Become Destiny: My Journey as Irena Phaedra”
The significance of names often flows through the currents of our lives, and mine carries the weight of ancient wisdom. Irena Phaedra is a name bridging civilizations.Irena, from the Greek “Eirene,” shares its roots with Eirene, the goddess of peace and natural order.Phaedra, also of Greek origin, means “bright” or “radiant.” Though its namesake in…
My Dear Darling Daughter
Between Mazes and Stars There was a time when shooting stars traced paths through the Frankfurt sky, not like ledgers but like ancient runes, speaking truths that no financial system could ever capture. I watched them from beyond the Westend towers,(Benidorm beach) Black Sabbath’s “Changes” echoing in my headphones, knowing Ozzy understood something fundamental about…
College versus Runway
Here’s the thing about being a self-taught anthropologist and entrepreneur – imagine trying to explain to your family that you’re studying human behaviour while also building a business. “So… you’re people-watching for a living?” Well, kind of, but with more spreadsheets than they’d expect. My journey to founding CYcrds has been about as conventional as…
Contrast, contradiction and contradistinction…
Dear D, Today I was reading about a master forger of paintings, an old naughty gentleman who was reliving (and revelling) his dodgy years with its secrets…in technics to make a newly painted piece look like the real Caravaggio, Vermeer or Lowry! To my astonishment, he used bee goo to crack the painting to look…
The C.O.M.C. Files 