Beautiful backstage video of the show I dedicated four years of my life to. I was just one little cog in the giant mechanism of this masterpiece, staying with it as an underwater coach and show diver from training and formation through creation through to operation. I ended up working more than one thousand shows behind the scenes and trained most of the artists between 2009 and 2012 for their underwater exits and entries.
During creation, our director used to say “let’s shake the stage.” And we did, twice every day. Shaking not just the physical stage of our theater but also the individual stages of our lives, growing far beyond our years while performing at our utmost best every single day. Living in this show family was heaven and hell, Jekyll and Hyde and all shades in between. Life’s learning curve has never been steeper.

I read something this morning that lifted my spirits, a quote by Stephen King: “The only mortal sin is giving up.”
Thank you Mr. King, I needed this today.
The last four weeks have been hard. I am waiting for a decision. It’s nothing earth-shattering. I applied for a job. Still, a “yes” will be life-changing. It will mean to be able to move back home, be amongst my most trusted friends and family, and do something I like doing (whilst also having enough time, energy, and money to continue with publishing my book).
As I wait, all seems to come to a standstill. I can’t help but be obsessively focused on the question of what the answer will be. Time seems to stretch and everything seems to slow down to a crawl slower than that of a tortoise on diazepam.
Of course, I am aware that life will continue and our planet will still rotate no matter what will happen.
So I breathe, do gardening, read, cuddle my cats, and gaze into the eyes of the woman I love. As the weeks pass and my sense of insecurity grows, I remind myself that I am worthy. I have done all I could, shown an immense amount of motivation and dedication. All else is out of my hands.
Some years ago, when equally important decisions loomed, I painted myself, standing firm, enveloped by huge waves crashing all around me. That time has come again: to stand firm, believe in myself and have faith in the ways of the world.

Writing my first book was an intensive experience and finding a publisher proves to be quite challenging as well. However, the hardest part so far was finding the right title.

Now, we found it: “The Fortunate Nomad” will henceforth be “Paralian.”

Paralian – it is a word from the greek language, meaning “one who lives by the sea.”

Paralian… Paralian… roll it around your tongue for a while like a well-aged wine, and my book’s new title will fill your mind the same way a good bottle of Bordeaux would flow through your stomach – velvety and strong.

I have always lived by the water and it has given me positive energy when all else seemed to fail. Paralian brings a depth of meaning far greater than my working title “The Fortunate Nomad”. Paralian brings us from associations of the desert to the water and its mysterious, invigorating, myriad shades of turquoise and blue. Someone living by the sea is associated with battling forces far stronger than himself, being a lover of nature, a free spirit, a survivor, a thinker, and a philosopher.

“Paralian” it is my friends. It fits.

Please be aware that as of today all social media sites for my book, as well as all other mentions of it anywhere, will change to the new title!