7:50 AM I am counting the days until I finally touchdown in the Big Apple again. Only a couple of days left and I will enjoy a beautiful summer at home with all kinds of pizza you can imagine! 
Of course there's more to discover and I am excited to test all the new things for you, so you can have the perfect NYC experience yourself! 

Thinking about what I will check out next, I had to think about a place which was really special to me the last time I was there! I am a matcha freak and I have to admit, as soon as a product screams matcha, I am the first one who's buying it! 
That's why I was more than excited to see and check out this place which only cares about matcha - Matchaful! 

A dream place for all the matcha nerds and everyone who's ready for their first matcha experience!


A peaceful and such a chic hangout spot which follows the motto: matcha everywhere. A deep green invites you to order all kinds of matcha creations. I was curious to try their matcha chai tea which is infused with reishi mushroom (totally my thing). 
The girl who made my drink was really sweet explaining me some things about Matchaful's matcha and I loved watching her how carefree and in slow, but mindful motion she was whisking my matcha drink (yes, it was really taking forever to get my drink... but I was patient. Maybe that's their philosophy). 

The day I went to Matchaful, NYC was super stormy and the weather just screamed for a hot and comforting beverage. This drink literally saved my life that day. 
I left the spot and hiked uptown. Holding it very close it was super warming for my hands and body and the smell was something I never smelled before. 
The idea of mixing two awesome drinks into one hit me hard - just like my first sip. This drink was delicious and so rich! Creamy and you can definitely taste a "spicy" or very warm note of chai flavor mixed with a very green matcha! What an experience!


Next to chai creations, you can also get the normal matcha experience of course, but also drinks with a focus on vanilla, cacao, or seasonal creations with tahini for example. Also what I love about this place is that almost every drink is mixed with adaptogens and you can also add beauty stuff like collagen or CBD which also brings a heavy price along. A drink is about $8 - super insane, but reading the ingredients one can understand...

Matter of fact, I really enjoyed my chai machta experience and I recommd you to try one of their blends, too! 

Matchaful, 359 Canal St ($$) 
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9:23 PM After my trip to Cape Town, my whole relationship to water changed. A life-essential ressource which I take as a matter of course without wasting a thought. Why should I? Water is water? I see it everywhere around me...why should I think about my consume and how I treat it? It's essential for surviving. 

All of the above was a tough test in Africa - redefining my relationship with water. 
Travelling to Cape Town, I knew about their water crisis and I read a little bit about their Day Zero - the city will be running out of water in a couple of years. No more water, even though South Africa is known to be a water rich country... just think about Cape Town and all the blue around it... 

Being in Cape Town, I learned in a blink of an eye what it means to take care of water usage and how ignorant we actually are. 
I felt ashamed. 
But I learned pretty fast and tried my best to be good tourist and not play with the stuff which is rare or limted around. 

Day by day, I learned how it feels to live with fear or a kind of uncertanty, because you never know how fast the day comes where you wake up and all of a sudden the last drop of water has been used. 

Just like that.
And then what? 

Some weeks ago, I was watching the news which were focusing on Zimbabwe and their current water crisis. So many people were cut off without access to water... Another country which is suffering from a water crisis. And this is happening all around the world. 

While we are still living in the richest countries with the best luxurious things, we don't think about essential things like no more water. We don't even understand the plastic issue... we are too slow with everything or we love to procrastinate...because this is scary. 
As long as we haven't touched an issue like this, it seems to be super far away from us. Not my business. 

I think differently about that. 
And I hope you won't ignore these issues around you. 

Start by educating yourself. 
We are not prepared yet and we should know what kind of things could happen to us, too, the next couple of years. 

After this experience, I decided to treat water more humbly and gratefully. I am in love with water. I love mi oceans and I feel like I have a very special connection to it. It gives me life - literally. 
That's why I am saving as much water at home as I can. 

Check out some tips here: 
1. Instead of baths, take short showers (max. 5 minutes)
2. In the bathroom, install low-flow shower heads
3. Turn water off when brushing teeth and soaping hands
4. Load the dishwasher fully when you want to use it
5. Use one special bottle to refill with water and your drinks throughout the day, so you have less glasses to clean afterwards and you save more water. 
6. Put a bucket in the shower to collect water while you wait for the right temperature. Don't waste this water - use it for your plants afterwards. 
7. Don't flush the toilet always fully (depending on what you are doing...) 
8. Make sure to rethink laundry. Sometimes you don't need to throw a shirt right into the washing machine - use fabric spray to have more of your clothes and throw it into your washing machine once you feel like it's been too long and this piece of fabric did its job for now, not earlier (with this I mean earing a shirt for grocery shopping and then wash it). Plan your outfits and take care of them. 
9. Don't wash the dishes under running water - rather fill the sink and let the dishes soak in soap.
10. Use plants which require less water - hi cactus!


I guess there's even more we can do, but I believe that this is a very good beginning to take care and rethink our behavior!
For the planet.
And for us. 

Will you join me and take care of our dear water? 

8:00 PM I love writing lists. I love being organized and planning things ahead. What a satisfying feeling getting things off a list and moving on to new things and projects. 
A feeling of happiness comes along and I feel less stressed. 

A couple of years ago, I started writing summer bucket lists to really make the best out of the short months of hot temperatures and ice cream cravings. 
I am not a big fan of summer, but I enjoy all the good food, summer workouts outside, and all the vitamin C that makes my mood chill and zen. 
Every summer, I felt summer was faster than my plans and ideas. So my lists were just perfect to remember myself to not sleep too much and just go outside and do plenty of stuff. 

I did pretty well with this. 
Until last year.
My first little summer blues - mood swings, a lot of summer sadness, and emotions I couldn't handle at first - I "won" over these vibes later, but it was scary for me to see how different my body and brain react to different seasons and situations. 

This year, I am actually enjoying summer. 
I chose to move to a new place during the hottest week and I am still in a huge chaos of boxes and miss-placed furniture. 
I am back in the big city and with this move, I automatically told myself to do as much as I can in my first 4 weeks. Not writing anything specific down, but just making sure that my body gets a lot of recovery and fun things to see when I'm off or doing something else than moving boxes and lifting heavy things. 


I went to the theater, ate ice cream, walked in the city center at night to enjoy the warm air and bright lights, played badminton, moved my body, took deep breaths, studied more about holistic health, jumped into my new kitchen and cooked happy meals for my happy being, ate tons of watermelon, watched classic movies, and fell in love with old Stevie Wonder songs. I took a lot of rest. Ignored social media for a little bit (I also could'nt do it so often...), I studied colors and dreamed of Hawaii. My business trip gave me an extra boost with plenty of nature and green vibes which I enhaled with pure smiles. 

Oh yeah, summer isn't over yet, and I feel pretty safe saying I don't need a list that guides me through this season. 


I take it slow.
Day by day.
I am enjoying this season, but I also listen closely to my body. 
Preparing my body for a colder season soon, making sure I get all the nutrients I need. 
Making sure I breathe right.
Making sure I am grateful every day, no matter what. 

I feel pretty good right now. 
I can't believe how my perspective and especially things change after a year. 
Read about my summer blues one more time here. 

How's your summer so far?
Enjoying it?
Don't put too much pressure on yourself to have the summer of your life. Also don't fomo - all is good. You go steady with your own pace! Be free ~ 
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