How my city became more beautiful since quarantine

The power of paying attention

A few days ago I went for a long walk in the centre of the Hague. Next to the Grote Kerk, I saw Kees, a seventy-four year old painter who was born and raised in The Hague. He was sitting under a tree, painting very peacefully and his paintings were laying next to him. Each of his paintings portrayed a different part of the city: the big buildings that we call The Hague’s skyline, Binnenhof with the water around it, the cute bookshop at the corner next to Grote Kerk.

The paintings all looked very detailed and the colours appealed to me a lot. Kees told me that living as a painter is not always easy nor the most stable job, but he is doing what he loves and I admire him for that. Our conversation had made my day, Kees made me laugh a lot and simply by watching him do what he loves he inspires me to do what I love.

Kees and I ended up talking for quite a while, until the police came to tell him he needs a license to sit there and sell his paintings. I was adding Kees’ phone number to my contacts so I could help him apply for the license online, when the owner of the cafe behind us came up to us with his fluffy dog. He offered Kees to paint and sell his paintings on his terrace, since he does have a license for that. It was a very wholesome moment, just people trying to help each other out and making each other’s day a bit brighter.

Since quarantine I have been having more of those magical moments in The Hague. Going on long walks by myself is something I do regularly now and in my ‘normal’ routine I did not make much time for that. During those walks, I try to be as present as possible and simply observe. It is a great way to practice mindfulness!

Almost every time I go for a long walk, I either end up discovering a beautiful place in the city or getting to know a friendly stranger. When I go for a run at Malieveld, I always see the same people who go there for a run too. We greet and cheer each other on as we run past each other. On a sunny day at Malieveld, you see parents playing with their children, teenagers teaching each other how to skate and groups of people dancing together.

My housemate Robin has made a bench that is standing in front of our house and he often works on making new furniture just outside of the house. Now, all our neighbors know Robin likes carpentry and regularly compliment him on his bench. The other day, our neighbor came to bring him some very beautiful pieces of wood that he could use for his furniture.

Sometimes random strangers just come to sit at our bench. It has been a starting point for conversation which has led us to get to know the people in our street better and that creates a warm and ‘gezellige’ feeling.

I used to think I need to travel to experience these moments of magic, but now I realize it is not the different place that sparks that magic, it is my openness to and my attention for the place and the people.

When you slow down and pay attention to what happens around you, you can see beauty everywhere and truly connect with people.

“The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh

I have always loved The Hague but now I love this city even more. Apart from the poems written on the houses, the beautiful Haagse bos and the canals, it is also a place where my friends have grown into family and strangers have grown into friends.