"Spoiled, white, middle class, male European" in Guatemala
19 August 2021, Jürg Messmer
Wow, nicely written diary!!! How about if I say you are living a life of a "spoiled, white, middle class, male European" in Guatemala??? Any thoughts??? Worth writing!!! 😝😝😝
Read moreA bohemian in Guatemala
5 August 2021, Jürg Messmer
I laughed out loud when an old friend (an artist, with a meager pension) from Switzerland told me that I was leading the life of a bohemian; probably simply because I emigrated to Guatemala, which must be very strange for most, I admit.
Read moreAnswer
10 July 2021, Jürg Messmer
Who doesn't know them, those moments when you hope for an answer, an answer to all questions, or even the One!
Read moreQuite simple!
3 May 2021, Jürg Messmer
Life is very simple. Yes, even love. Oh God, I know how complicated it all can be.
Read moreThe frog who wanted to be a authentic frog
28 March 2021, Jürg Messmer
Since I published the two stories "Faith and the Mountains" and "The Dinosaur" by Augusto Monterroso, I have not been able to rest. Outside Latin America, these mini-stories (translated) have generally not been received as well as I had hoped or expected. "Depressing", or "what is he trying to say?", or "how do you interpret these stories?". I was speechless, even disappointed, and almost willing to try quick and reassuring interpretations. I didn't. The stories simply belong entirely to the reader, I cannot imagine that Monterroso had seen it otherwise. A testament to this might be "The monkey who wanted to write satire" ("El mono que quiso ser escritor satírico").
Read moreThe dinasaur
24 March 2021, Jürg Messmer
That same evening, as we sat in Café La Luna, sharing a pizza and reading short stories by Monterroso - who had inspired me to try to write, for once, a hopefully cheerful and short story entitled "Faith and the Mountains" - Vivian also showed me this probably shortest mini-story in the world, also by Monterroso. This fantastic text made me laugh again, perhaps because I didn't understand it very well. Perhaps the beauty of it lay in the fact that I didn't have to understand the text completely. It was only when I tried to translate it that I realized how difficult it is to translate such texts, and what can happen and get lost in the process of translation and understanding. Vivi told me that this short text had inspired many a long analysis, including master's thesis.
Read moreFaith and the Mountains
21 March 2021, Jürg Messmer
To make a long story short: Vivian and I sat in the Café La Luna in Xela, ordered a glass of wine each and tried to distinguish between the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot with a blind test, which didn't really work, not even for me, the acknowledged and quite experienced wine-blind-tester :-) And so it happened that she finally drank the Cabernet Sauvignon, and I the Merlot, although I traditionally would have aimed for the Cabernet Sauvignon, but then preferred the other. So in the end deciding was simple, and we both got what we wanted. Well, I also wanted to smoke a cigarette, and asked her for permission - with a slightly guilty conscience as always, but also with a mischievous charm, hoping that she would bear my absence well, so left alone as a woman. And it worked out fine. When I returned from smoking on the street, she had been looking for short stories, and had found this one to share with me. She let me read it aloud, in spanish.
Read morePorn Willi's wild desire for life
6 March 2021, Jürg Messmer
When a friend told me this story about Porn-Willi, I laughed out loud, greatly relieved for a moment. But I was also very upset that no one seems to see the world as he does anymore, maybe we are not even allowed to do so, and somehow well-educated people seem to be more affected. Immediately I thought about drafting a law, which would promote a view beyond the pure number mechanics that are ruling science and politics right down to health and "life". But, of course, I failed to do so - as usual - ran out of steam, and decided to simply tell this story. No, not neatly scientifically recorded facts, cleaned up for statistics, but simply a story. And even Porn-Willi would tell it differently again.
Read moreA painted history
19 January 2021, Jürg Messmer
A few days ago I discovered this painting, right above the armchair where I enjoy the early morning hours in peace every day, drinking some hot coffee, smoking my peace pipe, and where I write as usual. But this often still in the dark, so I had never paid attention to this picture.
Read more2020 Revisited - Best Moments
3 January 2021, Jürg Messmer
This morning, a friend shared a video in a chat group that promised a funny clip about "Best Moments of 2020", with a simple click on arrow. I clicked Play! ... but nothing happened. Not a thing.
Read moreA little smoker story
27 December 2020, Jürg Messmer
The second to last cigarette in my pack, at 10 o'clock in the morning! Already breathless at the thought alone. A nice short walk is announced. Smoking does move some.
Read moreThe flower and the sidewalk
20 December 2020, Jürg Messmer
Oh, what an early morning waking up to a brand new day, and freshly inspired! And that after a night of a short but deep sleep, an exception in the past few weeks, passing through many threatening insecurities, with few certainties like hope, as I have been travelling through a world afraid of the virus called Corona.
Read moreTomorrow I'm gonna have fun with an entertaining guy
19 December 2020, Jürg Messmer
The title of this text, Vivi put it in my head yesterday. Originally it was a bit different, sharper, but we immediately forgot about it, and finally agreed on this one. Her wish is my command. ¡Estamos para servirle!
Read moreThe wisdom of decision
16 November 2020, Jürg Messmer
I have known this proverb for a long time, and it always has excited me, while remaining a mystery, including giving me a headache sometimes! Sinéad reminded me again. She put a newspaper clipping in front of me because she had stumbled across this text in various media over the last few days. A quotation from the Book of Prayers and Services for the US Armed Forces during the Second World War. The Irish Times writes in its Church Notes section, "that it speaks well to our fears in these troubling and challenging times":
Read moreAm I right here?
12 November 2020, Jürg Messmer
"Are we at the right place here?", "Where do you want to go?" "I don't know..." Hopefully someone simply points in the right direction and says, "Go there".
Read moreRelatively independent
4 November 2020, Jürg Messmer
In my case, being independent never really works out so well. Maybe because I move all the time, and constantly depend on somebody. Not to speak about the leaves and the oxygen. So it's no miracle that I have a lot of troubles using words like "independent", and the even more daring "free", also challenging my mind. But of course that's only my very own and personal difficulty. In this sense, I am probably exactly the independent and free solid human being, that I refuse in the very same breath.
Read moreGod, the rock, and the leaf
31 October 2020, Jürg Messmer
Which one should I start with? With God, even again with his son? The rock, the one in the surf? Or the leaf in the wind?
Read moreThe Lord of the Dance
28 October 2020, Jürg Messmer
It's my party, I can do what I want to! So let's dance 🕺🏼💃🏻
Read moreThe fourth month - the illusionist
20 October 2020, Jürg Messmer
This morning I woke up late, at 7am, not very Protestant. But I was fine, although I had already wasted some of my most precious time of the day. When Sinead came into the kitchen, she quoted something to herself, as a lyric, but I heard the tune immediately and started singing: "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone". That it was Jimmy Cliff who had sung the song first didn't really occur to me. I was simply happy and played the song on my mobile phone. And I knew it fit perfectly: I "see the obstacles on my way", "the rain is gone".
Read moreThe third Month
24 September 2020, Jürg Messmer
Carly Simon sings "You’re so vain" - forever. I had not even listened to the words when her song played on the stereo in Frieda’s car driving to Beara Penisula the other day. But now I suddenly remembered the song, including the main lines. And it’s true, I am one of these guys who feels often personally spoken to when listening to a song, as if it was a message directed only to me. Yes, I'm vain, full of myself. I'm tempted to say: we are all so vain. But that’s not the point.
Read more