As a kid, I did not really understand, nobody tells you, there comes no manual with your personality, is there? One thing was clear though, I was not the same like most other boys of my age. I had many talents so it seemed and I adapted myself easily to most situations, I was easy going. At a young age (36) I already lost both my parents to cancer, an event that changed my life for ever. After all, it cuts off the branch with your family tree, erases your secure nest, let you face life alone. I understood that I needed to find the same safe haven as home within myself and so my quest started. At that time I was lucky that the company where I was working provided a huge list of personal trainings for their employees, and for sure I used the opportunity fully. But with the search for my identity came also the questioning of the outside world. Although I had the opportunity to be part of some big innovation projects, I also saw the ugly world of greediness in a career chasing environment. Fast money and personal enrichment are for many directors their most important motives. This came seriously in conflict with my inner believes and I quitted. With no job, no money coming in, I started doing an exercise with myself. I still see the big paper on my livingroom wall, with my talents, the things I like, my values, the things I wanted to try and do, the things that gave me energy, etc… I was looking for the core of it all : my basic talent and my mission in life. It is an interesting process on all levels, I will recommend it to everyone! In those moments of standing still everything comes out : panic, feelings of freedom, anger for the system that is not really at your side, sadness, happiness and finally understanding. Understanding that all these feelings need to come out, that suppressed feelings are harmful, that ratio is serving us when we have a fight or flight situation but certainly not as a wisdom in life. I understood more clearly that we never in our childhood learn to use our most valuable skill : intuition and understanding by feeling. I discovered what it means to be high sensitive, which advantages it has. That every talent has its dark side, which we certainly don’t have to change like they want you to believe at work, just be aware of it is already sufficient! On my bucket list was beside others things, doing volunteer work and so I started with a non profit organization that had a platform for short chain food supply, later they hired me for 23 hours/week. In the meanwhile I studied NLP and became independent coach, because helping people was part of my life mission. I also teached in a management school. Finally, when I saw the same patterns appearing in the small non profit as in the big money driven world, I decided to follow the path given to me during the standing still phase and I quitted again, no income at all. In the meanwhile I was studying healthy foods, permaculture, wild herbs, self-sufficient living, healing naturally. I throw all medicine in the garbage can, stopped using all chemical products on me, removed all dental amalgam fillings, reduced the use of plastics even as a food container, grew my own vegetables, started to eat only organic and finally became vegan. All of this was of course in the knowledge I was gonna need it later. I sold everything in Belgium and found a magnificent place in France with the idea to live in nature, more independently, autonomously , healthy, to focus on things that are the most important in life: growing your own food, take time to create good meals and enjoy the moment, connecting with nature and the universe and sharing this with others. Abriecosy is a work in progress, but I work on it everyday to make it become closer to my vision :
Abriecosy is a place where people who are open to this lifestyle, are very much welcome to enjoy, heal, participate, dream, support, enrich the idea of a different world where supporting each other is central and where giving is the main action. Where the focus is on the life art of being yourself and nurturing your body with respect and good food. Only then you can do the same for somebody else and the beautiful nature, we are a part of.