1: Town of Cats

O K let's gooooooo

Hoi hoi hoi!

It’s my first newsletter, blog, journal, whatever you want to call it!!

Yesterday night I had a dream that inspired me to start writing this newsletter. Totally abstract as most of my dreams are riddles, some scenes though were as clear as Slovenian waters. And finally, during an evening yoga session I realized its meaning. So here we go!

What to expect in terms of frequency, themes, format ect. are questions we’ll figure out on the go. In the meantime I can recommend

Núria’s Ideaverse

who’s recently started a newsletter as one of her creative endeavors which, for me is such a joy to read and a source of inspiration that arrives in my inbox every Tuesday. A feeling I can only hope to pass on to others as well.

As for the Town of Cats as the title suggests, I have a story for you - for the ones who know it, I see you!!! It’s about a man who spends his holidays traveling by train, without a destination in mind, just enjoying the ride and spending time at places that arouse his curiosity. When he gets off at a picturesque town he finds he is the only one to get off the train, the only one at the station and even the only one in the entire town. The next train only arrives the next morning which though, leaves him no choice but to spend the night. What he doesn’t know is that this is a Town of Cats and the moment the sun starts setting they march across the bridge in huge amounts to settle in and bring the town to life. Appalled by the spectacle he rushes into the bell tower to hide and observe. Some cats brew coffee and sell it to their customer cats, some cats play music for others to dance to. Some buy supplies at the stores and some share a meal at the hotel restaurant. Dawn approaches, the cats start wrapping up their activities and head to the bridge back into the woods. With a clear coast, the excited man heads out to eat and sleep instead of taking one of the trains back before the sun sets again. His curiosity, drive for adventure and ambition have him stay another night. He want’s to know everything about this town.

Though cats have a remarkable sense of smell and the next evening they decide to investigate that lingering smell of a human. Trembling by the sight of them approaching the bell tower he thinks to himself that that’s it, he’s done. Sitting eye to eye with one of the cats saying: “that’s odd, I smell human but there clearly is no one here.” after which they leave the bell tower. Confused the man looks at his hands, which were visible to him. ‘How could they have missed me? We were eye to eye? It’s not like I’ve turned transparent?’ He decides it’s too dangerous to stay and plans to take the first train back the coming morning. His luck cannot last forever.

The next morning he watches the train pass by without any sign of slowing down, just like the afternoon train. As if people in the window seats cannot see him waiting at the station, or even see the station itself. He knows. Never again, for all eternity, will the train stop at this station to bring him back to his original world.

Merrrrrrp, sad ending no??

So recently I’ve had my own Town of Cats experience but instead of overstaying my welcome I made my way back to my original world, carrying a sense of gratitude and inspiration. All I can say is that I’m i n l o v e with Utrecht, the cozy big city close to my hometown in The Netherlands. To be there felt like dipping in a warm bath on a cold Sunday evening with a glass of Nero d’Avola. So extra I know heheh.

At the coffeeshop right on top of the canal the barista asked me upon my departure, whether I was able to get some work done with all the noise. I told her yes, but the words lingered and unconsciously directed me to the University Library.

Wandering through this gorgeous city where even the temporary scaffoldings are decorated with plants, I arrived to the University of Utrecht. Infiltrating their school as if I’m one of their students felt like the most natural thing to do, never once felt I out of place. In fact, my heart was wide open and a sense of belonging waved over me like when doing silly things with loved ones like ‘borrelen’ with the sound of the formula 1 in the background, dancing after dinner, or cuddling with friends and doing nothing.

Taking a break from working to absorb the sun in the campus garden among the students, listening to their conversations had me feeling like I was invisible yet more present than ever. A living oxymoron who found her way to not only move through the landscape but to become the landscape itself as

Living Poets Society

’s dad puts it beautifully. Gotta love duality.

All of this happened by the way due to a ‘mistake’ of one of the girls at my freelance agency. May be… ;)

Side note

• I’m nearly finished with my summer reads: 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami book 1 and 2 that friends gifted me for my 22nd birthday, though having never felt called to read it up until this summer. And what a book that is!!! It’s where I discovered Town of Cats story. ← In the meantime I finished it and the ending was a bit of a bummer lol

• Now that I’m writing this, Matt Haigh’s book comes to mind - The Midnight Library - with its glimpses into other timelines.

I’m curious:

• What are your Town of Cats experiences?

• Have you read the Midnight Library or 1Q84?

• And ofcourrrrse did you enjoy reading this?

PS

For the record I wrote this piece a week ago. But hey, better late then never right?!?