When I used to go to the hairdresser, I was asked how I wanted my fringe cut - the hair that fell on my forehead. It was very easy to see whether the fringe had been cut precisely or not: you could see straight away whether the fringe had been cut straight or whether there were individual hairs that were longer or shorter than the neighbouring hairs. Remarkable, because there are actually so many hairs on the head, but the quality of the entire cut is judged on the basis of just a few. It's often like that in life: Individual pieces stand out and receive special attention, while a larger part of the whole is hardly noticed. Does this mean that the few that do attract attention are more important? Perhaps because the whole is inferred from them. Nevertheless, they are essentially the same as the others and do not differ. If you or others get more attention, remember that this does not have to be or is not representative.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

I recently had a business meeting online. It's February, so it's winter. In the call, the person I was talking to could be seen via his webcam - and he was wearing cool sunglasses in his office. Even before we could speak, I wondered what that was all about. I had already given it some thought and - to be honest - had formed some opinions about it and was about to make a stupid remark or comment when he beat me to it and told me that he had an eye doctor's appointment and that since his eye lenses had been surgically replaced, he was particularly sensitive to light after such check-ups. How ashamed I was of the thoughts I had just had. It reminded me that you have to be careful about drawing conclusions about others based purely on their appearance. Perhaps this will also help you today when something unusual comes to your attention - to exercise restraint in jumping to conclusions.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

In the past, the most precious asset was property or money, i.e. material things. Then this changed in recent decades and, especially in our westernised and highly technologised world, time became the most precious asset. This is still the case. Time is precious and finite for us in this world. However, I think we are on the threshold of a new change. Already now and even more so in the future, trust will be the most precious commodity, I dare say. In times of artificial intelligence, deliberate misinformation, etc., the question of who or what is trustworthy and who we can trust with good reason is becoming increasingly important. After all, this can be life-deciding. How prescient and timely is the Bible, which says in the 10th chapter of the letter to the Hebrews: "Do not throw away your trust, which has a great reward. Do you realise how precious your trust is and how crucial it is to whom or what you give it?

I wish you an extraordinary day!

When I'm travelling by bike on country lanes, I feel the bumps pretty well. These are transferred directly from the ground to the bike frame and ultimately to my body. At higher speeds, such as when riding downhill, you can feel such transmissions very well as bumps. This can really shake you up and, in the worst case, even cause you to fall. Vehicles designed for these uneven surfaces therefore have shock absorbers to cushion such impacts. However, impacts are not only physical, but also psychological. It is not simply possible to cushion them with a mechanism. You need a life foundation on which you stand and which then supports you. In the New Testament, Jesus addresses this and says that those who take his message seriously and live by it have such a protective mechanism that holds them up even in storms. I can confirm this from my own experience.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

Foods are increasingly being categorised according to a traffic light rating system and printed on the packaging. This means that foods rated green are healthier than those rated red. Of course, the intention behind this food rating system is that the population develops a greater awareness of healthy eating. That is laudable. But I think of the vast majority of people on the planet who are happy if they have anything to eat at all. In their eyes, this may be an incredible decadence of our Western society. And rightly so. That's why I think it makes sense to ask ourselves from time to time: what is necessary and where do I consciously reduce my options to a sensible level by consciously foregoing all possible options? So I wouldn't have to introduce such traffic light warnings for food either, but simply limit myself to a healthy level and do without a certain possible selection.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

Some things in life are barely visible or not visible at all and yet are very important. A simple example is the air we have to breathe. We don't see it, it's just there and very few of us are grateful for the regular breathing process. It simply works. But if it doesn't, either because there is not enough air or because our respiratory system has problems, we notice this very quickly and it has an immediate negative impact on us. It's similar with loyalty. It is rarely visible and yet very important. Although I can occasionally make a conscious decision to be faithful to my spouse, for example, in many cases in everyday life it simply develops and grows over time. But how drastic it is when faithfulness is lacking, absent or broken. So there are values in our lives that are not very visible or present, but are essential for our well-being. It's good to realise this from time to time.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

Did you know that you can only sneeze with your eyes closed? I've never tried it any other way, but since knowing this and observing myself, I've realised that this is actually the case. It's not a big deal and it doesn't affect or restrict my life much or would be better if I could sneeze with my eyes open. But there are other things in life that limit us more. For example, options become fewer as we get older. By the age of 65 at the latest, I realise that my professional life is over and that I can no longer choose or pursue any other profession than the one I had before. From a certain age, some people may have to accept that they won't have any children or grandchildren. Or I realise that it is no longer possible to learn certain sports. There are limits to life. Restrictions. Unpopular in an age of opportunism. But a reality. Good for those who are reconciled to it.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

There is the saying "Architects can do nothing so well as lose." This comes from the fact that architects take part in many competitions and often emerge as losers rather than winners. But apparently they don't let that stop them from continuing. I find this very remarkable and admirable. We are all more or less dependent on recognition and success, and rejection and defeat affect us in one way or another, even if we sometimes have to expect or reckon with it. It's all the more impressive when people don't let this stop them from carrying on - like the architects, who apparently continue to be creative, design projects, generate ideas and thus also express that they still believe in their talents, abilities and the application of what they have learnt. So I wish you this architectural perseverance for similar situations in which you may have experienced setbacks or rejection.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

In German, the term Enttäuschung (disappointment) is a combination of "ent" and "Täuschung" (deception). This literally means the release from a deception - which is good in itself, although it usually triggers negative and not positive feelings. In English, the analogue term is "disappointment". This is also made up of "dis" in the sense of the opposite and "appointment", which means something like appointment or date. I almost like this definition better: it's as if you have an appointment but it doesn't materialise. If the meeting or appointment is with someone you like, this usually triggers sadness and feelings that I associate much more with disappointment. Disappointment also harbours self-reproach, that you are too demanding and therefore almost bring the disappointment on yourself. That's why the English expression is more salutary for me.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

We loved reading comics as children. The stories were told not only through the written word, but also through visual representations. However, the pictorial representation severely restricted our own imagination. So with comics it was always clear that the stories weren't real - an effect that I didn't have with novels. There I imagined how these stories had actually happened. Pictures are often helpful - but not always. They also limit and, as in this case, severely restrict the scope of what is possible. With this in mind, I understand why God forbids people to make a picture of him. It would be helpful: an image as a reminder of him. But it would also limit him in a way that would not only not do justice to his nature, but would also restrict us in our relationship with him. His encouragement that anything is possible with him would then be somehow surreal or just fiction.

I wish you an extraordinary day!