About two years ago I started to think about going to therapy. A lot of people around me were saying that it was worth it and that I would really appreciate it. But it took me some time to really make this decision. Why? Because I thought that my reason wasn’t „serious enough” to go to therapy.

Let’s make it clear. This way of thinking is wrong – there’s no such a thing like “not serious enough”, every reason is serious. Everybody has a different point of view, sees things differently and also feels differently. For some of you a “real” reason to go to therapy would be a trauma from childhood, and for others it would be overthinking. Both of them are already let’s say good to go to therapy.

Actually you don’t have to have a reason – you can go to therapy to simply talk about life. Sometimes we just need to talk with somebody who doesn’t know us and will have a different point of view. The reason is not really important, what really is, it’s the desire.

There was already a post about therapy – here! In that one I talked about my therapy and what it gave me. To end this post I’m going to add that therapy is a normal thing and you don’t have to feel ashamed about it! I’m very happy every time I hear somewhere in the tram or in the city people talk about it freely, no taboo!

If you have any questions, please ask, I will answer you with pleasure!

with love

Basia

When I started to write this post, I realized that a year ago I had written the same one. Okay, maybe not 100% the same but really similar. That was a moment when my life was busy and it’s also very busy so it’s a good opportunity to write an update! Actually I write it also for me, to clear up my mind and release the tension. Everything began at the end of August.

As you probably know from the previous blog post, I quit the job as a waitress. The last week at work was pretty busy and I had only afternoon shits. On one hand it was good because I had free mornings but on the other hand I was always going out really late. It really made me feel tired, especially that beside the job, I also had a lot of stuff to do.

Because I found studies that really interest me. I had to start to look for a flat – I went for one day to Lodz ready to sign the contract if I found something cool. Actually I found something cool but I couldn’t sign the contract yet so I had to go to this city again which hadn’t been planned before. But now, when I’m writing this post, I already have my keys!

Well it’s crazy but I’m serious. Apart from moving out to another city I had to move into another flat in my hometown. Actually I went back to my family house to leave some stuff there. I laughed a lot when I realized that last year I moved out twice during a half of a year and now I’m moving out twice during two days… why is it so crazy?

… because I go on vacation for the whole month.

We go to Martinique with my boyfriend to see his family. When you read this text, I’m in another time zone. Actually it was also a huge challenge for me to prepare all the content for the blog and for the podcast for the whole month before leaving Poland. As you see, my two last weeks of August were like a life rollercoaster. It was crazy but I’m glad it’s now over!

It was tough so I’m very very happy to relax right now and do nothing. I hope your August was more calm, haha!

with love

Basia

Today’s blog post is just a quick review of what I’ve learned as a waitress during last year. I worked in a vegetarian/vegan restaurant and had a lot of situations that were a lifewide lesson. It’s not just about making coffee and bringing meals to the table, it’s something more.

/forbearance

Not once not even twice I had a guest whose behavior frustrated me or even made me angry. Unconsciously made my job more difficult by deciding for a long time what they wanted to eat while I had much more things to do. Sometimes they changed their order a couple of times so at the end I was just confused about what they really wanted. Those situations are just examples, there is much more than that but you have to keep calm and stay polite no matter how frustrated you are.

/organisation

Crowds, a lot of orders to prepare, meals to bring to the table, another table to be cleaned, people in front of the bar waiting for me to take their order… everything at the same time. I know that not every restaurant waiter or waitress is responsible for all of those things, it depends on the place you work at, but those were my responsibilities. Sometimes I just wanted to leave it like this and go back home because it was too much, but of course I had to stay and just confront myself with those things.

/stress control (& hunger control)

Let’s continue the previous point on this list – good organization goes with controlling your emotions. Even though my mind was blowing because of being exposed to many things like noise, music, smell, hunger, fatigue, stress, feeling of being overwhelmed – I had to work and to be concentrated. Working in a restaurant is not just about running around the table, it’s also really hard work for your brain. Being tired not only physically but also psychologically is a norm.

/calmness despite the anger

Sometimes I would love to say what I really think to guests because their behavior is just ugh. But I can’t do this, I have to stay calm and smile even though somebody changes their order for the fourth time. The best thing is to forget just after, it’s just a moment, another frustrating person, but at the end of the day it was nothing.

/I’m just a human being

And finally, the cherry on the top – I’m just a human being and I can’t do a million things at once. I can’t prepare a coffee, bring a meal to the table, take another order, show a free table or whatever at the same time. It’s important to prioritize some of those things and do them first. If there’s no understanding from the guest, I can’t do anything about that.

It was a really intense year and I’ve learned a lot! But keep in mind that it’s my personal experience, it doesn’t need to be like this in every restaurant. Every job is different even though it’s the same work place. It was a nice experience, but for now I don’t want to work at a restaurant again.

with love

Basia

I can’t believe I’m 23yo. Time flies and I have the feeling like I had my 21st birthday two weeks ago and it was 2 years ago. No matter which my birthday is right now, I really like this moment and I love celebrating it and enjoying it as much as I can. But today’s blog post is not about celebrating my birthday – it’s about 23 things I’ve learned or discovered so far plus some books, movies or quotes that influenced me somehow. This list comes from the bottom of my heart, the order doesn’t matter.

/eng

I. ‘About Time’ – a movie I watched about 7 or 6 years ago with my best friend. It made me cry several times and the story really touched me. It’s not just about a beautiful love story but also about a sense of time and how to really live in line with carpe diem.

II. ‘We bought a zoo’ – another beautiful story about dealing with a lost and overcoming weaknesses. And taking a risk!

III. ‘Tell the wolves I’m home’ – a book I read when I was 15 yo. It showed me what true friendship looks like. After reading this I understood that ‘a best friend’ is a powerful word and it takes time to call someone your best friend.

IV. ‘Ca va aller’ – a French song I listen to passionately because of the lyrics. Pomme, the singer, sings ‘everything is going to be fine, life is going to be fine and it’s worth the effort’. There was a moment when it really helped me to find positivity in my life.

V. ‘I must not fear, fear is a mind killer’ – the litany against fear from Dune. Always gives me the courage to overcome the fear.

/eng

Summer means vacation and vacation means free time! Okay, I know that not for everybody, me neither I don’t have a lot of free time but let’s say that vacation is the moment when in general we have more free time so we can enjoy summertime. And the city we live in can give us an opportunity to really enjoy it! There are a lot of events, really a lot! Mostly they are for free and available for everybody. Concerts, festivals, yoga practices in parks, dancing evenings, open air cinema… you see? Summer in the city is my favorite part of the year and in today’s blog post I’m gonna show you why.

As I’ve already mentioned, the city has a lot of things to offer during summer so I really recommend you to check this out. For example in my city, in Poznan, all the events are shared on Facebook groups and everyday there’s something to participate in, for free! Yoga in the park, latino dancing evening, a free cinema in the park… I could list those things for hours! Really check this out and just enjoy <3

/ w parku

Lato to czas na piknik! Zwłaszcza, że już od rana jest wystarczająco ciepło, więc nawet na śniadanie można iść do parku. W ogóle parki w upały są chłodniejsze niż betonowe centrum miasta, więc polecam tam spędzać czas, bo są miejscem odprężenia. Wystarczy wziąć kocyk, książkę, grę planszową czy karcianą, jakieś przekąski i coś do picia!

Mimo że ostatnio fala upałów sprawiła, że mało kto chciał wychodzić z domu to jednak miasto latem to moje ulubione miasto. Wakacyjnie polecam też weekendowe wyjazdy i różne inne atrakcje, o których pisałam tutaj. Miłej zabawy!

with love
Basia

Okay, this post is not going to be about body positivity in its proper meaning. This is going to be about things you can do for your body so it’s happier and feels better. I have a theory that body and mind are two integrated parts – they cooperate in every possible way but still the mind can just cheat on the body and same for the other way round. So today I decided to talk about what good things we can do for our body so it pays us back with the same good thing – strength and being ready.

Od razu zaznaczę, że nie będzie to post o body positivity, a przynajmniej nie w stu procentach. To będzie post o tym, co zrobić dla ciała, żeby było szczęśliwe. Mam teorię, że ciało i umysł to dwie zintegrowane części – współpracują ze sobą na każdej płaszczyźnie, a jednak umysł potrafi oszukać ciało i na odwrót. Dlatego dzisiaj chciałabym porozmawiać o tym, co dobrego robić dla ciała, by odpłaciło się tym samym – dobrem, siłą i gotowością do działania.

// listen to what it says 
Sometimes our body tells us what it needs. Usually it is simple information, easy to understand but sometimes we don’t really want to listen – for example when after a long day at work body says “here we go resting at home in 3, 2…” but you say “it’s Friday fun day PARTY DAY”. There’s nothing wrong with such a thing unless you do it regularly. I know we only live once but you also have only one body, so try to give it what it needs.

~ wysłuchaj, co ma do powiedzenia ~
Czasami ciało samo podpowiada nam, czego potrzebujemy w danym momencie. Zazwyczaj jest to prosta informacja, jasna do zrozumienia, tylko czasem my nie do końca chcemy jej wysłuchać – na przykład w momencie, kiedy po całym dniu pracy ciało mówi „odpoczynek, czas START”, ale wy mówicie „idziemy na imprezę do znajomych. Piątek – weekendu początek!”. Nie ma w tym nic złego, dopóki nie robi się tego regularnie. Wiem, że życie ma się tylko jedno, ale ciało też, dlatego warto dawać mu to, czego potrzebuje.

// likes the selfcare
I can imagine that not everybody likes peelings, masks, body lotions and other beauty products but they are the key. They don’t need to be used every day but give your body a little bit of pleasure. Home spa is already an amazing option but a massage in a beauty salon or a simple face skin treatment can be like heaven on earth. I don’t want to say you have to do this, I know it can be expensive, but give yourself this present from time to time and you’ll see it will be a good investment.

~ lubi pielęgnację ~
Domyślam się, że nie każdy jest wielkim fanem peelingów, mleczek do ciała i innych kosmetyków – ja sama nie używam ich codziennie, ale ciało lubi być czasem rozpieszczane. Już samo domowe spa jest fantastyczną opcją, ale masaż czy jakiś miły zabieg dla skóry to jest wyższy poziom przyjemności. Nie mówię, że często, ale od czasu do czasu warto – to wydatek dla dobra ciała i umysłu, czas dla siebie, sama rozkosz i relaks.

// can be toned up 
Body needs challenges – movements, positions or exercises that push it to its limits. Our body is strong from the beginning (baby stage) and it can learn easily. Sometimes we don’t even realize how strong our body is until we go for groceries and we go back with two large bags full of products and we have this inner strength to bring them home. Of course there is a golden balance that we have to keep, giving too many challenges, working out too hard and pushing your body out of its limits is not the best way to make it stronger. And here we go back to the first point – listen to what it says.

~ może być wzmacniane ~
Ciało potrzebuje wyzwań – ruchów, pozycji czy ćwiczeń, które zmuszą je do użycia wewnętrznej siły. Nasze ciało od samego początku ma w sobie dużą moc i jest zdolne do nauki. Czasem nie zdajemy sobie sprawy z tego, że nawet zwykłe wyjście na zakupy ujawnia moc naszego ciała, w końcu trzeba te zakupy zanieść do domu. Stawianie ciału wyzwań jest dobre, oczywiście w granicach rozsądku, bo ciało można przeciążyć, gdy robimy zbyt wiele lub za bardzo. I tu wracamy do punktu pierwszego.

// it also listens 
Body can speak but also can listen. All the comments that can hurt, really do it. As in a relationship of two people – if one of them starts to be mean to the other person and then wants to work together or do something, it’s not a healthy relationship. Same with body and mind. Maybe a body can’t be offended like a human being, but it won’t cooperate easily. So let’s treat it with love. It’s unique as it is.

~ również słucha ~
Ciało nie tylko komunikuje, ale również słucha. Wszystkie komentarze, które mogę je skrzywdzić, rzeczywiście są krzywdzące. Tak jak w relacji dwóch osób trudno mówić o zdrowej więzi, jeśli jedna osoba obraża drugą, a później oczekuje od niej współpracy, tak tutaj jest podobnie. Może wasze ciało się na was nie obrazi, ale współpraca z nim nie będzie łatwa. Dlatego warto potraktować je z miłością. Ciało jest wyjątkowe takie, jakie jest.

// has a structure 
Body is neither smooth nor firm in 100%. It has a structure. Sometimes it’s more round or more geometric, sometimes it’s wrinkled or smooth. Every single part of our body has a different structure. It can have different colors, it can react differently in water or while being touched by the sun. Every body is different and we can’t really compare them. Actually there are only uniques on the Earth. Really beautiful.

~ ma strukturę ~
Ciało nie jest ani gładkie, ani w stu procentach jędrne. Ma strukturę, każde inną. Czasem bardziej okrągłą, czasem lekko kanciastą, w niektórych miejscach bardziej pomarszczoną, a w innych gładką jak tafla wody. Może mieć różne kolory i różnie się zachowywać na słońcu czy w wodzie. Każde jest na swój sposób wyjątkowe i nie da się go porównać z innymi ciałami. Można by powiedzieć, że po ziemi chodzą same unikaty.

I know that some negative thoughts can’t be pushed out easily from our mind but try to replace them with those positive ones. I had this problem too and sometimes I still struggle with those negative thoughts. But hey, you still can change! It’s just a process. You have one body, it’s beautiful and it needs to be cared for. And remember that everyone is unique!

Wiem, że niektóre z tych myśli niełatwo przychodzą do głowy i czasem są wypierane przez te negatywne – wiem, bo sama nadal mam z tym problem. Ale to jest proces i da się to zmienić. Ciało ma się jedno, jest wyjątkowe i wymaga tego, by o nie dbać i je pielęgnować. I pamiętajcie, że każde jest jedyne w swoim rodzaju <3

with love
Basia

Even though I’ve been traveling very often lately I wouldn’t call myself “a tourist”. I’ve never been a great fan of visiting castles, museums and all the regular attractions of a city but I thought it was the only way to get to know the city. My point of view changed during the trip to Paris with my two friends when we spent a whole day wandering around and exploring the city without seeing the most popular monuments.

Wydaje mi się, że podejście do podróżowania już się zmienia i coraz częściej wybieramy miejsca mniej turystyczne albo zwiedzamy miasto bez przewodnika. Wiadomo, że dobrze jest zrobić mały research i sprawdzić, co warto zobaczyć, ale to nie jest najważniejsza rzecz na wyjeździe. Poza tym, miejsca mniej turystyczne bywają bardziej żywe, ciekawe i swojskie.

A jakie Wy macie podejście do zwiedzania i co najbardziej Was interesuje w odkrywaniu nowego miasta? Zabytki, czy mniej znane miejsca, do których chodzą tylko lokalsi? Dajcie znać w komentarzu!

with love
Basia

Since september 2021 I’ve been in a long distance relationship and I’m not gonna say it’s a piece of cake and it keeps itself by itself. Absolutely not. Relationship engages two people and it needs an engagement from both sides, especially when it's long distance. I decided to share what works for us, our relationship, and what makes us closer to each other despite the long distance between us. But before I jump into the topic I must mention that it works for us but it doesn’t mean it is bound to work for you. Every relationship is different and has a different story, keep this in mind. But I hope it can be an inspiration for you and maybe you’ll find some ideas helpful in your relationship!

Od września zeszłego roku jestem w związku na odległość i nie będę udawać, że to bułka z masłem i związek sam sobie trwa. Absolutnie nie. Związek to relacja dwóch osób i wymaga zaangażowania obu stron, a tym bardziej w związku na odległość. Postanowiłam podzielić się tym, co sprawdza się w mojej relacji i co sprawia, że mimo odległości jesteśmy coraz bliżej. Jednak zanim przejdę do tematu, podkreślę jeszcze raz, że każda relacja jest inna i każda relacja ma swoją historię – dlatego to, czym się tutaj podzielę, nie musi się u Was sprawdzić. Niemniej jednak daję Wam całą listę tipów, które mogą posłużyć jako inspiracja dla Waszych własnych pomysłów.

.contact
One of the most important things in my relationship – instant contact. We start every day together by sending a message hi honey, what’s up? which makes my morning more beautiful. During the whole day we’re writing messages to each other, talking about different things that happened during the day or some usual stuff, and in the evening we call each other just before going to bed. It’s really important for me because I need to have this contact and a talk really nourishes my heart. Sorry for those strange comparisons, it’s very typical for me haha!

.kontakt
Jedna z najważniejszych rzeczy w mojej relacji – stały kontakt. Każdy dzień zaczynamy wspólnie rozmową albo zwykłą wiadomością cześć kochanie, co tam?, co umila mi poranek. Przez cały dzień wymieniamy się wiadomościami, opowiadając sobie różne ciekawe rzeczy, a wieczorem dzwonimy do siebie, najczęściej tuż przed snem. Dla mnie jest to bardzo ważne, bo potrzebuję kontaktu i rozmowa jest dla mnie jak „pokarm” dla serca. Ja wiem, moje porównania są powalające, ha ha!

.heartwarming words // affection
Apart from all the typical messages it’s very important to say what you feel. Words that we usually repeat many times during the day when we are together – I love you, you mean a lot to me, you’re very special… Same for long distance relationships, you also need this kind of messages, they can really light up your day!

.ciepłe słowa // czułość
Oprócz wiadomości zwykłej treści ważne są również te uczuciowe. Słowa, które zazwyczaj powtarzamy sobie wielokrotnie, kiedy jesteśmy razem – kocham cię, wiele dla mnie znaczysz, jesteś wyjątkowa/wy… W związku na odległość też jest to potrzebne – takie wiadomości rozświetlają dzień!

.meetings // planning the next ones
I think it’s obvious that meetings are really (!) important. It’s the time when we finally can see each other, feel each other and just be together. I’m very happy that we meet at least once a month and sometimes even more, but we’re very privileged living in Europe, being able to buy flight tickets (or having a car) and having enough free time to arrange our meetings. And I’m very (very!) grateful for that. Also, if it is possible, we plan the meetings in advance so we always have something to look forward to and something we can wait for. It makes you less sad when you have to say goodbye.

.spotkania // planowanie kolejnych
Myślę, że nie muszę tutaj mówić o tym, jak bardzo ważne w związku na odległość są spotkania – czas, kiedy w końcu możemy być blisko, czuć swoją obecność i po prostu być. Nam udaje się widzieć co najmniej raz w miesiącu, ale jesteśmy w trochę uprzywilejowanej sytuacji, bo oboje mieszkamy w Europie. Bywają takie miesiące, kiedy widzimy się więcej niż raz czy dwa, za co jestem przeogromnie wdzięczna! Do tego ważne jest, jeśli to możliwe, żeby planować kolejne spotkania z wyprzedzeniem, tak by zawsze mieć perspektywę kolejnego wspólnego czasu. To potrafi dodać otuchy w czasie pożegnań.

.coming to terms with the situation
Long distance relationships are hard but sometimes you can’t escape it. This is our situation – we both have projects to finish in different countries so we can’t live together, not now. There were moments in the beginning when I was complaining about this saying that we didn’t have any perspective but then Vivi told me that it wasn’t about the fact we didn’t want it, it was just the situation we lived in that made it temporarily impossible. And he’s right. We can’t change it for now but we’ll definitely change it in the future as soon as it’s possible.

.akceptacja sytuacji
Związek na odległość nie jest łatwy, ale czasem nie da się inaczej. Tak jest w naszej sytuacji, bo póki co każde z nas ma swoje własne projekty do zrealizowania w innym kraju i nie jesteśmy w stanie mieszkać razem. Na początku miałam wewnętrzny ból i trochę na to narzekałam, ale raz Vivi mi powiedział, że przecież nie zmienimy tego w tym momencie, bo nie jesteśmy w stanie, a nie dlatego, że nam się nie chce. I ma rację. Oczywiście smutek jest tutaj naturalny, ale nie ma co się w niego wkręcać, bo to tylko niepotrzebnie dołuje.

.motivation
The most important thing – motivation. Without it our relationship wouldn’t exist. Relationship is like a business, and a business needs engagement of two people to be well balanced and make sense. And it’s not just about long distance relationships, it’s about all of the relationships. When there’s a motivation and a desire to keep it then even the biggest distance won’t break you up.

.motywacja
Najważniejsza rzecz – motywacja. Bez niej trudno o udany związek, bo relacja to swojego rodzaju biznes, a w biznesie potrzeba zaangażowania więcej niż jednej osoby, żeby zachować równowagę i sens wszystkiego. I nie mówię tu tylko o związku na odległość, ale również o każdej innej relacji. Kiedy jest motywacja i chęci, to nawet największa odległość nie będzie przeszkodą.

Those are the most important things that keep my relationship going. Here you have some podcasts that may help you too!

To są najważniejsze tipy związkowe, które pomagają mi w relacji. Oprócz tego podrzucam podcasty, w których jest poruszany ten temat – częstujcie się!

Podcasts // podcasty
The matcha diaries - an episode about Leo's relationship

The matcha diairies - Q&A about love

Marta Niedźwiedzka - związek jako umowa na czas określony

Marta Niedźwiedzka - 15 kropli prawdy

And once again – those tips work for us, it doesn’t mean they’re gonna work for you but they may inspire you :) Good luck for all of you who live in a long distance relationship! Love is a strong feeling, let it be.

I jeszcze raz wspomnę, że wyżej wymienione rzeczy sprawdzają się w moim związku, ale nie muszą się sprawdzić u Was – weźcie na to poprawkę :) Życzę powodzenia wszystkim związkom na odległość, i małą, i dużą! Miłość to silne uczucie, niech trwa.

with love
Basia

New month means a small throwback to the previous month! Just joking. 

...

Okay, now seriously - this is a transcription of the new podcast episode which is May inspirations. This time I decided to talk with my friend and do an interview with her so we can share all the good moments, things, events etc. that happened in May. Here we go with our faves from the previous month!

Daria: Zmysłostan Concept Store & Nami Studio - two beautiful places in Poznan in which you can find all the beautiful things in the world! Zmysłostan is an aesthetic store with ceramics, teas, photos and all the things that are created to delight all your senses. More info here! @derancholie. And the Nami Studio is a ceramic store but also an atelier where you can participate in a workshop and learn how to do ceramic.

Basia: my fave from May is the Numa Hotel in Salzburg where I went with my boyfriend for a weekend. It’s a very beautiful place and I loved the design! Numa Stays is actually a chain and they have their hostels in Vienna, Barcelona, Berlin and some other places so if you have any occasion to go there, go! Highly recommended!

Daria: highlight of this month! One Republic Concert in Warsaw! Even though I had been sick two days before the concert and actually didn’t feel very well on that day, it was a gorgeous and unforgettable experience.

Basia: another surprise that my boyfriend did for me! I know, I’m one-track minded this time talking only about what my boyfriend did or what we did together but I’m just very happy about this! He came by car to Poland which was exhausting (10h of the trip…) but we could have spent a weekend together! And as we are a long distance couple, every single moment we can spend together is precious.

Daria & Basia: people! We both thought the same and felt the same - a huge gratitude for being surrounded by amazing people, very talented and open-minded, generous and unconditionally present in our life all the time. All those people who have untypical passion, shocking talent or just an optimist attitude are precious and we really appreciate that <3

Daria: iced matcha, new fave drink! And a coffee that was described as ‘litchi fruit, kind of sourish yogurt and a strong alcohol’ - well at first I thought that it would be disgusting but in the end it was pretty nice and I liked it a lot!

Basia: a delicious tart with white chocolate and fresh fruits, literally the taste of summer. Well balanced, not too sweet even though it has white chocolate! And the other thing is kind of cinnamon buns but made with strawberries - pure deliciousness and I could eat it all the time.

Daria: my trip to Czacz! A small town in Poland with a vintage market where you can find a lot of things - ceramics, furniture, coins for collections, paintings, books… literally everything. And I found the best bedside table you can ever imagine. Apart from that I can mention drawing / @darkanakartkach / which is my new-old favorite activity and brings me a lot of joy! Another thing - walks. Now when the evenings are longer and warmer a walk is such a pleasant activity, highly recommended!

Basia: for me walks too! Especially in the morning as my morning activity. I have a very beautiful park next to my place as I already mentioned before so walking there is a pure pleasure. And another thing is my bachata classes on Wednesday which is so so cool! I love dancing so having weekly dance classes makes me very happy.