Of Mosquitos and Dandelion
Newsletter from August 8, 2025
Hi dear student,
In my last newsletter I shared my fascination and overwhelming inspiration I received from witnessing the volcanic eruptions here in Iceland. More important though I esteem the mindset and keen eye to be aware of the small everyday wonders constantly offered to us. It is easy to get filled with energy and joy when living on our small magical island close to the arctic circle, but no matter where we are in this world, we can take note of gifts of inspiration and hope.
It might be an overused cliché to cite the resilient dandelion cracking the asphalt, yet, who cannot use a little dose of the hopeful enthusiasm of a child holding up the magical seedball – puffball – “Pusteblume” of that dandelion, taking a deep breath and releasing the multitude of little seed-parachutes into the world and thus planting new bright yellow flowers to decorate the world and crack the dull asphalt.
It is a free gift, a free choice to keep the eyes and mind open for those wonders. They certainly help me to keep going in times of frustration, horror and powerlessness about the daily news.
I like to remind my students of Puppetry to just spend time observing a common housefly or even a mosquito, to admire their glistening wings and acrobatic flying skills defying all our feeble attempts to catch them! It keeps us humble and appreciative if we remember that we are all but a small part of a larger network of life on earth, us humans, the dandelion and the mosquito. Maybe that will give us the strength to continue lending our energy to counterbalance the arrogant, ignorant and straight out evil political powers at work. Suspecting that the common fly will most likely outlive our human existence on this planet I find not only humbling but it also puts a smile on my face.
Sending warmest regards from North-West Iceland, where I just performed on a small annual Theater Festival and will now retreat for a few days into the remote regions of the West Fjords. Good to turn off WIFI for a while and focus on the dandelions and maybe spot a whale offshore … I’ll be back soon!
Bernd
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