Two worlds - one need
It was the Thursday evening of the last week of the school summer holidays. I had resolved to reduce my sleep deficit and also to stock up on sleep to get me through the first week of school. But - as is so often the case in life - my intentions didn't materialise: the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow intervened. To be more precise, the Swiss professional cyclist Marlen Reusser cancelled the time trial.
As I was about to head to my bedroom, I remembered that I had seen a nine-minute interview with Marlen Reusser online on my smartphone shortly beforehand. The topic: Why she had abandoned the time trial (despite having a chance of winning a medal and no technical defect). My curiosity - to put it better, my interest in people - my deformation professionnelle and my irrationality joined hands and my hand reached for my smartphone instead of my toothbrush.
A lot of people probably need a break. Maybe we should just do more of it.
Marlen Reusser, cyclist
I listened and watched her explanations spellbound and suddenly the scales fell from my eyes: we're in the same boat (or should I say: we're pedalling in the same boat?). Among other things, she talked about how her job is not a nine-to-five job, «but much cooler». She really appreciates this life and it has many, many positive things - but it also takes a lot of energy.
She talked about the fact that she is incredibly privileged, that there are probably many people who would like to swap places with her. She talked about the endless loop in terms of the number of bike races, about the short break after the season, which fell through for her last year due to illness. That she had realised for some time that the whole thing was wearing on her and that she actually needed some distance and a break, but thought that she couldn't take a break, wasn't allowed to take one.
And she explained why she was saying all this: «In social media or the media in general, there is this magical sporting life with successes and you are super fit. Or someone has depression or cancer. There are these two poles that are being exploited to the full. But all the nuances in between are rarely discussed. [...] A lot of people probably need a break. Maybe we should just do more of that.»
From the outside, my life as a mum of two children and freelance journalist is of course totally different from Marlen Reusser's. Nevertheless, I recognised myself in many of her words and think that others (mothers, fathers and people without children) have experienced similar things. For example, that my life as I lead it is a privilege and that not only being a professional athlete, but also being a mum is much better than a nine-to-five job.
Or the thing with breaks. Why don't we organise breaks even though we feel that they are necessary (in the truest sense of the word)? (If you can organise and afford a break at all, this is also a privilege).
It is usually possible to find common ground between supposedly different worlds.
It would probably be more beneficial for everyone to recognise their needs and limits in good time than to dismount during the time trial - translated into everyday parenting: than to have your empathy tank empty by nine o'clock in the morning. And that's why living together is a rather unpleasant experience. To say the least.
I'm convinced that many lives that seem contradictory on the outside have a few things in common when you take a closer look. After all, we are all just people, regardless of whether we are a teenage mum, toddler dad, professional sportswoman, manager, teacher, farmer, retail employee (the list goes on). In other words, there is usually something that connects supposedly different worlds. If we had this in mind and, above all, in our hearts, the world would be a little bit nicer.
