This spiral awakens joy in me.
A few months ago, while cycling through Prenzlauer Berg, I saw this spiral lying on the street, between parked cars and the roadway.
As I drove past, I couldn't quite tell what kind of object it was. My mind wandered with curiosity for a few moments, but I kept driving. When I drove down the street again a few days later, I saw that spiral again!
This time I stopped and picked up the object. What was it? An animal? Rubber? Plastic? Nature?
I couldn't find another similar object nearby. Why was it still there? Why had it survived all the cars of the past few days seemingly unchanged?
Why was it so appealing to me? Why was it so fascinating to me?
For me, this spiral expresses joy in life. I'm generally drawn to the shape of the spiral—especially in nature. For me, it represents growth, awareness, and commitment. And this spiral reminds me of Australia, of the magical and wild nature of this continent, where I spent six years of my life. This spiral feels as if it comes from there: from the Australian landscape, where I was able to experience such profound nature.
This spiral itself has something magical about it for me: it is “dead” and yet “alive,” part of a plant and yet somehow also an animal, reminding me of my own mysterious growth.
Where does this feeling of joie de vivre come from? Above all, it seems that this spiral keeps a memory alive in me: the memory of the joy of living during my time in Australia.
And for me, the spiral also expresses joie de vivre, because randomly discovering and acquiring objects while cycling is FUN! Buff! Suddenly, something appeals to me, one of the thousands of objects I encounter every day. I don't know why this object evokes this joie de vivre. But I know it does.
