March 25, 2012
-
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Today is the 20th anniversary of my coming out. I didn't celebrate it (even though it really is as important as a birthday to me, possibly more actually) but I did think of that Wednesday 25 March 1992 quite a lot today. This whole year will see a lot of things remembered that happened exactly 20 years ago, because without a doubt 1992 was one of the most important years of my life... so far, anyway. It was the year that I graduated, that my mom recovered from a difficult period in her life, that I moved to Amsterdam after my one (and so far only) time of being unemployed, the year that I started my working life... and yes, the year of my coming out. I won't go into detail what all was discussed on that Wednesday night two decades ago, there at my parents' kitchen table in Sittard, but suffice it to say that it was a discussion that was as difficult as it was necessary. It had to get done, and I'm glad that, in hindsight, all went well.
The picture shows my neighbour on the other side of the street. Now, from seeing this picture, and especially from the way it was taken, you may think that I'm spying on him (and who would blame me, because the guy is cute) but rest assured, that is definitely not the case. The guy has a seemingly unhealthy obsession with the plants in his window. He can easily spend up to two hours per day just minding the handful of plants, watering them, rearranging them, and whatever he does with them. For a long time I didn't have a clue what type of plants they were, and it was only with the help of Günter and Steve that we determined that these were actually strawberry plants. What surprised me most when I moved to my new apartment is how close by the neighbours on the other side of the street are. This guy doesn't seem to be too disturbed with that though. In the entire year that I've lived here, and after those many hours that he has spent on his plants, did he look at my place only once (at least that I notice) and that was more or less accidental because he looked away straight away. Peculiar guy.
In the afternoon I met up with Christophe, who is spending the weekend in Amsterdam. He now works in France full time, and he comes to Amsterdam to relax a bit from his new, hectic Paris life. It was great to see him again (the last time was in November) and really a shame that his husband Jacques couldn't join us because of a flu. The weather was absolutely perfect and despite a couple of attempts, Christophe and I didn't succeed in finding a place on a terrace outside so we opted for a place in the sun in the window of a nice, small cafe on Leliegracht. After meeting up with Christophe, I went for a swim in Zuiderbad. Gotta keep that going as well!
Recent Comments