Dare to flourish and shine!
In the case of butterflies, that would involve turning your garden into a butterfly heaven, filling it with flowering plants and shrubs that attract these 'self-propelled flowers'. Butterflies spread love, quite literally: as pollinators they support our food supply and ecosystem. But as fluttering reminders of the fleeting beauty of life, they are also wonderful for our mental health.
In many cultures, butterflies are tied to the female experience of transformation, like in Japan, where they symbolize the transition from girlhood to womanhood. To sit in your butterfly garden and witness the insect's four distinctly different stages - egg, larva, chrysalis, and adult - can be a powerful healing experience for any woman going through any type of change. As Maya Angelou put it so beautifully: “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” Amen!
So, what if you have created your butterfly heaven, but the winged beauties haven't shown up yet? Don't worry and enjoy your gorgeous garden. Just look at it; you made that! Even Dolly can't think of a better metaphor for self-love.
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MD Friends
Building bridges
From the Erasmus Bridge and the Mercedes-Benz Museum to Qatar’s metro network; Ben van Berkel’s iconic landmarks bring people together in rapturous beauty, again and again. I talked with the Dutch architect and educator about sensuality, ‘healthy’ buildings and the remarkable parallels between our designs.
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MD Friends
More than a feeling
Don’t ignore your emotions; they are much more powerful than you can imagine. By linking the magical world of emotions with hard science, Dutch scientist Pierre Capel, professor emeritus in experimental immunology, shows us the consequences of our feelings and the power of our minds. The message: we can do much more than we think. “Meditate. It’s the single best thing you can do for your health.”
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Marlies Says
Keto curious?
The fact that I feel bikini-confident all year round is, of course, a nice bonus. But for me, the biggest payoff of following the keto diet is the way it optimizes my health and gives me tons of energy.
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Marlies Says
Super (skin) food
‘If you can’t eat it, why put it on your skin?’. I pretty much live by this beauty adage. After all, with your skin being one of your body’s largest organs, anything – and I mean anything! – you put onto your skin will end up in your bloodstream.
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