Milestones

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Dixie Dansercoer Julie Brown Herman Vanaerschot

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“And then you say Even in time we shall control the day When what you see Deep inside the day’s controlling you and me.” Jon Anderson - YES Perpetual Change

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Table of contents p5 p6 p8 p 13 p 23 p 37 p 51 p 67 p 77 p 87 p 97 p 121 p 115 p 131 p 132 p 134

Amazing grace - foreword, Herman Vanaerschot Serendipity - foreword, Julie Brown Passionate nothing - foreword, Dixie Dansercoer Respect Silence Passion Creativity Dare No-thing Imprints Discovery Serendipity Complacency Photographic references Quotes and text references Acknowledgements 3

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“And then you say Even in time we shall control the day When what you see Deep inside the day’s controlling you and me.” Jon Anderson - YES “Perpetual Change”

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Amazing grace It would be too easy to say that my best photographs are personal milestones. I get closer to the truth when I suggest that my best pictures reflect moods which result from important events in my life. In early September 2003, I was asked by Julie and Dixie to record images of their activities with a group of human resource managers in and around the Circles Center in Breiten, Switzerland. And that was it. Join, relax, and see what happens. So I decided to observe and not to manipulate. When we started our trek in the mountains on Day Two to the Aletsch Glacier, the glacier did not show up for its usual sunny postcard session. I felt that nature was my companion and I just had to follow its moods. The wet misty weather set the tone. It showed its amazing grace and my usual “Let’s get this done before 10:00 pm!” stress shrunk to ridiculous proportions. Instead, I absorbed and learned as much as I could from this new environment. I often compare this with the intensity of an investigator who enters a crime scene. Every detail is important: the delicate change of light, the lack of sound, the presence of a smell. These photographs are the result of what happened that day, captured in a frame leaving no room for any further image manipulation. I selected the other photographs from many years of my observations. I am happy to share them with those who wander in the reflective and courageous atmosphere of this edition. Herman Vanaerschot - IJsbreker

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Serendipity “Circles” is one of my milestones. But like every other intense event which leaves a deep imprint, this milestone can only exist due to the cooperation of others. In the case of Circles, and most recently our Circles Center, it is my joint dream together with my husband. Our combined determination, our blended creativity, and our mutual desire to motivate others have enabled us to create an entity which leaves us scrambling for a proper description. Circles is what it is, and nothing more. Dixie and I began to give speeches and conferences five years ago. We needed a name for our “company,” and it was Dixie who suggested “Circles.” He was heavily influenced by the book Zen Circles (Tanahashi and Schneider) and its concept of perfection within imperfection. The name seemed to fit and we launched ourselves into the world of public speakers. Unfortunately, the parameters of certain locations, including impossible time constraints and a myriad of inherent corporate distractions, left us often feeling that we were unable to transmit some very important ideas. We fantasized about bringing our audiences to a place where nature’s beauty reigned: where the ring of a mobile phone would be muffled by the wind in a ravine, where morning mist

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would mask the temptation to sit blindly before a computer screen, and where seemingly all-too important interruptions would be placed into a context of natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true priorities. We found that place in Breiten, Switzerland. And once again, serendipity aided our search. After a gruelling day of exploring the seemingly infinite natural treasure of the Valais Region, we happened up the Aletsch Glacier. Clumsily stepping out of the ski lift, we found ourselves gaping down at something so uniquely grand that we quickly understood its place among the UNESCO globally protected sites. Completely imperfect but nonetheless breathtaking, we discovered a wordless representation for Circles. We have therefore chosen to use a variety of Herman's incomparable photographs of the glacier and its surroundings throughout this book. We hope that the images thread an imaginative line through the interchangeable order of themes and ideas which we have assembled. The chance to redefine priorities, to rejuvenate our souls, and to rediscover the creative spirit within each client (and admittedly within ourselves), has led to a new milestone. And once again, the passion of others has enabled us to realize a new depth in the era of Circles. Circles, whatever it may be. Julie Brown

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“The safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” Clive Staples Lewis. 1898-1963

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Passionate Nothing Consider that life comes down to striving towards all those things that you like. Know that we all love emotions that make us and the people around us feel good. Well, let it be clear that along the way there are those milestones of retrospect. They are the short moments of pausing between breathing in and out. Whether you want it or not, time actually does stop at certain moments. No sentence can be written without a full stop, no sleep has ever interrupted a manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, no song sounds on forever. Many realisations actually lie in those so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;dead momentsâ&#x20AC;?. Creativity soars, sensitivity rises, clarity is evoked. With this book, we invite you to develop the habit to stop and discover a slower ticking clock. Our wish is that by using it, you make the paper come back alive. There is great wisdom in cherishing and sharing, so pass on whatever results from your input. This is not a workbook in the strictest sense of the word. It is more of an invitation to go through it first as you would normally read a book, but at a much slower pace. Then, whenever it suits you, read it backwards, Japanese style. And then, pick it up at any odd time to blindly open a page. Or even better, disregard these guidelines and do whatever you want, because there is no chronological order. The only thing we wish to promote is that you will form a little relationship with it, confiding your wishes to it, talking to it like a trusted friend, or finding it the perfect frame for your family photo. 9

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The photos, taken by and carefully chosen by Herman Vanaerschot, represent pure freedom. To him and to you. They are time-bound because they represent a flash of life, and they do stop the ticking away of seconds. But for us, and hopefully for you, they allow freedom in time. A teaser for your subconscious free mind. Use these unique images as a vehicle to travel to places of personal interpretation. We kept the excerpts from books a bit tantalizing with a purpose: should the message remain mysterious, it is our strongest wish that the reader consults the list of text references (p 132,133) and continues the search for clarity by reading the source in its entirety. Quotes are ubiquitous and timeless. They are communication tools for those who want wisdom without reading, timeless jewels of intensity. People of all ages, of all times most likely have either spent days piecing them together or have written them down in a flash of lucidity. Again, they leave space for apprehension or assimilation. Take it or leave it. Turn it around, rewrite it. There is enough space for your own creativityâ&#x20AC;Ś Dixie Dansercoer

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, troika, winged troika, tell me who invented you? Surely, nowhere but among a nimble nation could you have been born: in a country which has taken itself in earnest and has evenly spread far and wide over half of the globe, so that once you start counting the milestones, you may count on till a speckled haze dances before your eyes.â&#x20AC;? Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol. 1809-1852

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Respect “Learning from nature is a very human interaction, whereby ethics plays an integral role. Respect for our fragile environment has become a must. Therefore, we must vow to minimize our impact on nature. We should aid anyone in his study of humanity’s enduring impact upon the pristine regions of the earth, places where nature’s beauty offers us a source of inspiration. Our enormous desire for enterprise may only benefit from this sign of self-respect. Anyone taking from nature owes an equal return which restores the delicate balance.”

Dixie Dansercoer, personal thoughts before the start-up of the Circles Center in Breiten, Switzerland (a location next to the UNESCO protected Aletsch Glacier).

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“At first some of the staff had terrified me. I saw them only as my jailers, as accomplices in some awful plot. Later I hated some of them, those who wrenched my arm while putting me in my wheelchair, or left me all night long with the TV on, or let me lie in a painful position despite my protests. For a few minutes or a few hours I would cheerfully have killed them. Later, still, as time cooled my fiercest rages, I got to know them better. They carried out as best they could their delicate mission: to ease our burden a little when our crosses bruised our shoulders too painfully.” Jean-Dominique Bauby (43-year-old victim of a massive stroke and its subsequent “locked-in syndrome” … able only to communicate with the blink of his left eye and saw the publication of his memoir just two days before he died). The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, 1997

“Writing fiction has developed in me an abiding respect for the unknown in a human lifetime and a sense of where to look for the threads, how to follow, how to connect, find in the thick of the tangle what clear line persists. The strands are all there: to the memory nothing is ever really lost.” Eudora Welty, One Writer’s Beginnings: Finding a Voice, 1984

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Perspective

“We cannot provide answers to time-bound topics or give a list of guaranteed tricks to tackle any problem.” “We must be open to life’s incessant changes; we must be ready to constantly re-adapt.” “The one red line we suggest to follow is the collection of your honest convictions. Start from within. Before you start defining your goals, analyse your honesty.” “Before you come up with an action plan, ask yourself if each individual involved thinks the same. When you start the show, honour all guests.”

Dixie Dansercoer, reflections after the Antarctica 2000 expedition on the development of the Circles philosophy

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am only a poor man, accustomed to small things and silence.â&#x20AC;? Pope John Paul I (Albino Luciani), Illustrissimi (epilogue), 1978

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Silence “Oh, the relief of getting off! It was quiet and the ship rose steadily. I was not frightened now; there was plenty of time to think; the ship responded easily to the controls. And it was so delicious, so still. I picked out my route (more or less as Charles had instructed): along one hill, across to another, and down into a green field – a very conservative route. I did very little soaring because I felt rather timid about getting too near the sides of hills. I didn’t want to experiment this first time. But I felt the ship go up to the currents in each crevasse in the hillside. When I was quite near the field I heard a bird singing. Then I turned around the field to face it the long way and skimmed along the ground and it stopped, without any jolt, like a sled ploughing into snow with a slight crust. Then I jumped out, lifted up the tail to see if the scraping had hurt anything, and looked at the road. Cars were stopping and people came up. ‘We’ve been watching you. We wondered what you were doing so close to this field. We thought you were a plane.’ They stood around grinning. ‘Where did you come from?’ I, in my white overalls, pointed up to the mountain that looked in the clouds.” Anne Morrow Lindbergh (the first woman in the United States to obtain a glider pilot’s license; four months pregnant with her first child; as noted in her diary entry from January 31, 1930), Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead.

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Precious Silence

While working late one Saturday night in our cozy office, I received an e-mail from a woman who was trying to arrange a surprise tribute for a mutual friend in preparation for her fortieth birthday festivities. I was asked to write something which would span a friendship of thirty years, and the prospect seemed daunting at the time. My friend and I have experienced the joys of childhood, the confusions of adolescence, the triumphs and pains of adult relationships, and now we would enter our “forties” together. Somewhere in my testimonial to my friend, I fell upon the topic of “silence.” Perhaps it is in our forties when the rush of life reaches a peak. Demands seem to come from all angles, and quiet moments need to be guarded more heavily than the last few cookies in the cookie jar. While my friend is living a completely different lifestyle from my own, I hear very similar assaults on her private time. Though she is not married and does not have children, my friend is busy in her professional world as an educator. She is a very social person with a myriad of close friends who depend on her for a variety of support. She is a daughter of an aging mother, a sister and an aunt: each of these familial roles has intricate responsibilities attached. She has just recently ended an intimate relationship with a potential life partner, and the grief of such a loss leaves loud traces on the soul. It is hard to want to be silent in moments of failure and misfortune for fear of the noises of pain which wait to screech at an exposed heart.

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And so in this tribute which was read aloud on my behalf at her party in far-away Washington D.C., I chose to slide some reality-based truths into a comical sphere. After tracing a path of life experiences which began on a tennis court at the age of 10, I led us to the now moment of: cold coffee due to the distractions which detract us from completing any one task in a singularly graceful gesture, such as actually drinking the hot coffee as soon as it is poured into our cup the chaos in my own home and the noise of four energetic kids, commotion for which I know I should be grateful as it signifies their health and wellness the seemingly impossible search for balance between the contradictory professional and private worlds the pitiful phone conversations with my sick father and the early death of my friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dad so many years ago the impetuous liaison between my friend and one of the waiters on a cruiseship during her recent vacation and, finally, the need for allowing silence to be an integral part of our lives, now more than ever, in our forties

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Of course this piece about entering a new decade of life is not of a shortsightedness which eliminates the future. On the contrary, the realization of the values of calm and peace only deepen with passing age. It is as if with each day of maturity we sense the worth of moments of nothing, and the absence of sensual assaults from outside sources. My birthday gift to my friend is a wish for silent moments, cherished times of non-doing, and calm interludes in a sea of activity. Julie Brown, November 2003

“ … meditative times when the mind reaches for ethereal thoughts and the body’s quiet state allows the soul to rule the kingdom!” Julie Brown, on the serene atmosphere of an early morning during the Antarctica 2000 expedition, Shades of White, 2002

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Still Life

“You would expect everything to be quiet on the ice of the North and South Poles. Well, it is surprisingly full of melodies. At night you can hear all sorts of noises that represent life, but when you get up in the morning, there is nothing. That, I must say, is an eerie experience. At the same time you open yourself up for what nature has to offer. You develop an ear for the flapping of the tent canvas, the rhythmic breathing of your tent partner, the breaking up of ice around you. Sometimes, it even determines the course of your day. Fear for the wind, raising the risk of frostbite, makes these noises signals of warning. In the Arctic, there is always some sound like the squeaking of shifting ice layers … You have to think of those immense plains of ice and snow as a gigantic mass of Styrofoam that is always in motion. At times, the noise is almost deafening!”

Dixie Dansercoer in an excerpt from Stil Leven (Still Life)

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“All The World’s A Stage … for Me” Brett Banfe, 19, must be one of the most dedicated kids in America. Or the craziest. Last September he embarked on a self-imposed year of silence to prove a point about our fast-paced lives in a world that doesn’t often stop to listen. Though silent, Brett is carrying on with life as “usual” – attending university in his native New Jersey and hanging out with friends. some comments from Banfe: “Imagine being 20 years old and having accomplished something that great! It would be a priceless lesson in interaction. I could either pretend I didn’t have this epiphany, and continue on with my life, or I could commit to it.” “Relations with friends and family are improving. I’m listening to them. Listening is our most important social interaction, yet we spend the least time cultivating it.” “I hope to inspire people to do whatever they want to do. If it’s silence, then that’s great, because I truly understand the power of silence, of observation, and listening to people.” “I feel incredible. I feel like I can do anything, like I’m the main character in the movie of my life, and it’s all gonna work out in the end.” excerpted from the “Periscope” section of Newsweek Magazine, written by Malcolm Beith, April 30, 2001

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Passion “We are all made differently, of course. There are some of us whose peaks of happiness are higher and whose depression reaches deeper than the happiness and depression of others who cannot shout with joy or who never lose their cool. As for me, if I see grass greener than other people, if I hear sounds that they don’t hear, then the price I pay is in periods of frustration and loneliness.” Robin Lee Graham (16-year-old-boy who sailed alone around the world), Dove, (co-authored with Derek L. T. Gill), 1972

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“Tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet? Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day And head back to the Milky Way? And tell me, did Venus blow your mind? Was it everything you wanted to find? And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?” Train, “Drops of Jupiter,” 2001, Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

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Passion, Inc. “Those who live with passion, have lost less than those who have lost their passion.” Dixie Dansercoer, New Year’s wish, 2002

If passion is a provocative topic, if it defies conventional wisdom surrounding pure work ethic, and if it seems out of place in one’s professional life, then we recognize and accept our challenge to mainstream the sensation. Dixie and I are so convinced of its place in our lives that we have taken it up as a sort of cause, a conviction so strong that we hope to spread its value to as many people as possible. Far from utilising a preachy missionary standpoint, we simply hope to demonstrate that passion in its purest form, strictly individual depending on each being, provides us with the highest probability for living a fulfilled existence. We dare to suggest that the power of passion contains a potentially profitable energy for any company, large or small. It’s ability to motivate oozes into each aspect of a person’s life. Too often we hear that motivation is necessary within a corporation, that it’s employees are feeling burned-out, that stagnation is taking a bite out of client satisfaction, that profits are slowing due to absenteeism or staff turnover, and that management will try just about anything to encourage its workforce. But the incentive programs, guest speakers, educational workshops, and retreat weekends only go so far in achieving the goal of a consistently productive worker. He must have something intrinsic, something instinctive which allows him to flow through his workday with the minimum of distractions from achieving the goal.

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Passion focuses us to what we need to accomplish. It allows us to linger with the very thought of a particular goal, to dream about it, to speak about it to as many listeners who will tolerate our rhetoric, and to stick to it even after our weak attention spans would like to give up and go on to the next interesting project. Passion is a guaranteed boost to any personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s repertoire of life skills, and a sure bet in the race of lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finite events. Some people say that we are blessed with such characters, others ask where we have honed our skills, and still some regard us with the suspicious eyes of doubters from the start. We are convinced that the same passion which bubbles inside each of us is a natural gift which resides within every human being. Unfortunately we are taught to ignore it, to bury it, and to reign it in like a wild horse. Religions preach prudence regarding its presence in our lives, cultures create shameful repercussions for acts of passion, parents warn their children about its dangers, and adults learn ways to control themselves in the face of it. None of our attempts to ignore passion are successful. On the contrary, we face certain damage by giving in to its repression. Julie Brown, excerpt from Een Passie Moet Je Volgen (Follow Your Passion), Uitgeverij Van Halewyck, 2002

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A spark of passion One cloudy summer afternoon, while finishing a job in my attic work-room, I became distracted by the sound of children having fun. Curiosity regarding the events in the backyard enticed me to peer out of the window. I discovered my daughter, Anna, and her friend, Jelle, fooling around with a bicycle. They were so involved with their game and drowning in the sound of their own laughter that probably nothing could have disturbed them. In a split second I realized that this was one of those true life images which needed to be recorded. I ran to the next room, took my Hasselblad, mounted the portrait lens, and ran downstairs taking two steps at a time. Reaching the kitchen, I threw open the fridge, took the 400 asa 120 mm black and white film, and loaded the camera. Outside I saw the intensity of the game was still on. Due to the rather poor light conditions, I opened the lens at full aperture, took a deep breath, and started shooting. The two girls didn’t mind my intervention at all. In no time my film was exposed. In no time passion finds its way and overtakes all other activities. Was this the same intensity that provoked me one day when my wife, Mieke ran upstairs dropping me the message, “He is on the roof!” Rushing outside I found our three year old son climbing toward the rooftop. By the time Mieke was near the attic window, she couldn’t reach him anymore and little Frank came to realise where he really was. I went up and grabbed him. Our unspoken, instant strategy and action was amazingly familiar to my urge to capture that image. Much uncertainty but never the less go for it. Sharpen your skills and be prepared. Herman Vanaerschot

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“Passion is the endless motivator, the invaluable incentive.” Dixie Dansercoer, speech content, 1999

“Follow your dreams, not the masses.” advertisement for Samsonite

“Fire is the silent language of the stars” Conrad Aiken, (1889-1973) American writer. He wrote numerous novels and short stories, many of them based on psychoanalytic theory.

People who are confused or who invest their energy in multiple directions without a clear path, meander through life without purpose. Passionate, life-loving go-getters follow the road that does not need any signposts. They find their way blind-folded. Passion takes them by the hand. Dixie Dansercoer, journal entry, 2003

“To ignore the existence of passion would be futile and costly.” Julie Brown, in a personal letter to Dixie Dansercoer, October 1997

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Creativity

“There’s nothing inherently bad about comfort and pleasure. But you must be aware of the fact that these things can destroy you, too. Can render you sterile. Kill your creativity. Wreck you mind.” Roman Polanski, director and film maker

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“Naturally you begin to feel cornered, frustrated, and at times overwhelmed by all you have to contend with. The upshot is that you spend much of your time during these early months abroad simply trying to cope. This isn’t beyond your reach, but mere coping can be demoralizing as it leaves little time or energy for more fulfilling, meaningful pursuits, such as learning about and appreciating the new country, learning the local language, or making a contribution in your new job. And it was, after all, the possibility of this latter kind of achievement – rather than successfully mailing a letter – that attracted you to going abroad in the first place.” Craig Storti, The Art of Crossing Cultures, 1990

I have decided to consider this expedition as a form of personal expression. It is not so much the distance which counts, but the manner in which we tackle it. Place each foot where it should go. Pull the sledge with a regular rhythm. Properly align the body. Like the pas-de-deux of two dancers or the recitation of a poem. Dixie Dansercoer, personal journal entry, South Through the Pole Expedition, 1997

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Cold Transformation What are some of the tricks that I found indispensable in Antarctica and continue to use now anywhere I go in freezing conditions? More specifically, what did I find helpful for a woman in frigid temperatures? Keep dry. Any sweat or precipitation must be brushed off or dry clothes must be ready to replace wet ones. Keep moving. Activity, especially movement incorporating the whole body, prevents cold from taking hold. Wear a good fitting hat. Always. I even slept in my hat. Drink. Often. It doesn’t matter hot or cold, although warm drinks add a psychological punch, but fluids help the body run efficiently. One’s circulation is intensified by hydration. The amount of fluids can seem ridiculous at times, but the effect is never disappointing. Stay away from alcohol and large amounts of caffeine. Herbal teas and soups are favorites. Eat. Often. Same principle as fluids. Doesn’t have to be a huge meal, but a consistent fuel reserve is much appreciated by the body’s furnace. In Antarctica I ate enormous amounts of food, but still lost 2 kilograms. Our largest meals were breakfast and dinner, with pocket snacks during the day.

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Wear good eye cream. Men too! Dixie loves this trivial tip that he learned from me. Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye cream provides a layer of protection from coldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s irritations. Dryness is also reduced, thus soothing the uncomfortable stinging which may accompany winter-like conditions. Added bonus: the cream forms a barrier which prevents sunscreen from leaking into the eye, an otherwise real nuisance when skiing, trekking or climbing. Learn how to use a pee bottle. Forget the gadgets. For men, easy. For women, a real challenge. But the need to urinate during the night in a tent is made much easier by a bottle that can be emptied outside in the morning. Gadgets make more of a mess and their tubes tend to freeze-up, rendering them useless. Sleep completely in your sleeping bag. Head too! Good sleep is indispensable and the bags are designed for the entire body. Common sense dictates that one may suffocate during the night, but that will not happen with the right equipment. Wear a simple plastic sack on your feet. First, wear a thin sock. The sack goes over the thin sock layer, and then is covered by a warmer, thicker sock. The plastic bag traps the sweat that would otherwise accumulate in the boot, thus keeping the feet amazingly warm. Each night, the bag con tains a disturbing amount of condensation which does not smell agreeable, so it needs to be dried out before the next morning.

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We are taught as females that outdoor adventures are daring, thus leaving us intimidated to participate in them. Our daily life shelters us from contact with cold, with wind, and with other discomforts which can actually be renewing. Just like my breakfast in the Ardennes, one filled with less conveniences than normal, the refreshing atmosphere left my senses alive. With the proper preparation, even so-called “extreme” experiences in the cold can leave us with life-enhancing consequences. This novice now seeks a new chance to explore nature’s gifts, even if they are tucked into an icy wrap. Julie Brown, text for an outdoor adventure store newsletter, 2000

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Inspiring moments A lost child’s shoe, seen during a walk, beside a dusty road on a hill in my home village. It puzzled me for a long time. Strange, I still think of it sometimes, even though it took place during an election year in the early sixties. Stuck home during an illness. Started to listen to Yessongs, a live album I bought because my best friend thought it was fashionable. Hated it. Kept listening to it. Admired it and discovered that there was life on planet Earth after childhood. I started to translate music into pictures. A great flu! The storm scene in the movie Ryan’s Daughter made me curious about Ireland. And I got there. During a stormy night we went down to Arklow Pier. We hardly could stand. Using my car as a shield I made photographs. Huge waves. Salt all over. The next morning people thought we had been out of our mind. David Lynch’s movies. Fiction, so why feel uncomfortable?. Wonderful way to visualize the human psyche and fears. Less known are Hal Hartley’s movies. They are a totaly different treat. He uses a rhythm in his vivid dialogues that transforms his actors into dancers. The photo session with foreign models who couldn’t understand a word of each other. Capturing the right image was very exciting. The challenge of daily life ... to be continued. Herman Vanaerschot

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Bored? Stand at the overlook from the Kamakura Temple and view the bay. Remember windsurfing there? Wander through the tiny cave within the temple grounds, hunched over so that you don’t scrape your head on the craggy rock above. Appreciate now all of the open space around you. Sip a refreshing Kirin beer after a hot stroll through the crowded streets of the Japanese city. Rollerblade along the Venice Beach boardwalk together with Southern California’s Kama Kosmic Krusader, the guitar playing homeless dude with the crazy costumes. Take a bike ride through the Jura region of France. Wander through the dusty bookstore in Redu. Smell the musty pages of old books, timeless pieces which chronicle amazing events. Touch the warped covers and carefully decide which books to buy. Afterward, sip a Ciney at a rough wooden café table. Look across and see me smiling at you. Stroll out to the end of the bridge in Avignon. Allow the mistral to blow its fury at you. See the whitecaps on the Rhone. Climb the huge tree outside of our hotel room in Nairobi’s Safari Park Lodge. Listen to the frogs chirping at night next to the swimming pool. Smell the flowers as they mingle with the musty scent of wild animals.

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Bake a loaf of bread. Follow the process from start to finish. Call room service at the Washington D.C. Doubletree Hotel and order a box of their “Sweet Dreams” Chocolate Chip Cookies. Munch them while watching a movie in bed, allowing the crumbs to settle around you in a decadent fashion. Julie’s list of creative activities for Dixie to do while fighting monotony on his Ultimate Arctic Expedition, 2002 (taken from Dixie’s personal journal)

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WALK Wander holding your breath Feel the weight of every footstep Omit the sound of your bodyweight Find the right spot Let the rhythm guide you Lose yourself in monotony Make a detour for every flower Whisper in slow motion The words that only you can hear That tell you how far you have gone And then, step forward Dixie Dansercoer, thoughts on life after climbing Island Peak, Nepal, July 1996

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“You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 today and we don’t know where the hell she is!” Ellen DeGeneres, comedienne

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Dare â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lov had his wife to feed and provide for, in addition to himself, and he was careful not to allow any of the Lesters to come too close to the sack of turnips. Usually when he came by the Lester place with turnips or sweet potatoes, or for that matter with any kind of food, he left the road half a mile from the house and made a wide circle through the fields, returning to the road a safe distance beyond. Today, though, he had to speak to Jeeter about something of great importance, and he had ventured closer to the house than he had ever done before when carrying home turnips or sweet potatoes.â&#x20AC;? Erskine Caldwell, Tobacco Road, 1934. Groundbreaking American literature due to its honest portrayal of poverty-stricken farmers.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a magnificent intensity in life that comes when we are not in control but are only reacting, living, surviving.â&#x20AC;? Steven Callahan (who lost his sailboat in a storm at the beginning of his Atlantic crossing from the Canary Islands to Guadeloupe, and managed the ordeal of survival at sea in his tiny dingy), Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea.

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If a heart could think, it would stop beating. Fernando Pessoa, Portugees writer, 1888 – 1935

“Dream big, dare to fail.” personal dedication to Dixie Dansercoer by Norman D. Vaughan (who climbed and summitted Mount Vaughn, a 10,300 foot peak in Antarctica, three days shy of his 89th birthday) in the book My Life of Adventure (co-written with Cecil B. Murphy), 1995

“The best times of your life have not yet been lived.” anonymous quote on a small paper inside of a fortune cookie, found by Julie in a Chinese restaurant in September 1997

“When both feet are planted firmly, nothing can shake you.” anonymous quote inside of Dixie’s fortune cookie, found on the same evening in September 1997

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“All who wander are not lost.” JRR Tolkien

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No-Thing “Down, down he swam till his arms and legs grew tired and hardly moved. He knew that he was deep. The pressure on his eardrums was a pain, and there was a buzzing in his head. His endurance was faltering, but he compelled his arms and legs to drive him deeper until his will snapped and the air drove from his lungs in a great explosive rush. The bubbles rubbed and bounded like tiny balloons against his cheeks and eyes as they took their upward flight. Then came pain and strangulation. This hurt was not death, was the thought that oscillated through his reeling consciousness. Death did not hurt. It was life, the pangs of life, this awful, suffocating feeling; it was the last blow life could deal him.” Jack London, Martin Eden, 1909

“Too much is confusing.” Julie Brown, Een Passie Moet Je Volgen

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DOING NOTHING Who is willing to believe that simply doing nothing is doing more? Has it come so far that floating around in emptiness is considered a waste of time, frowned upon or criticised? Well, it is like any unknown: if you have not experienced it, you cannot know. Here are some truths: Dead time yields seconds that last twice that long The void can offer you space for deep thought Silence can play the most lovely music. The now-moment tells us that losing time is OK. Freeing up time to do nothing is something anyone can do. No excuses. It is just a matter of wanting it. A matter of believing that the benefits are facts, not figures. Novices will certainly ask what one should do while spending time in the void. Again, that sounds a little too ambitious, a little too productive. Just being, letting go, being in the moment, is already quite a task. Do not forget that while â&#x20AC;&#x153;doing nothingâ&#x20AC;? you are invited to see, smell, listen and touch. With some practice, the senses can chase away the thoughts that occupy your mind. Overkill, burn out, stress, headaches and other work related illnesses are surely not caused by taking the time to do nothing. It is clearly the other way around. The lovely art of creating some new space in your brain (by deleting as much as you can) will have a twofold effect: newfound clarity and the fresh feeling of starting anew. Dixie Dansercoer, thoughts on time and how to lose it

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Imprints Windfall Try to make it far enough To the next time zone Few and far between the midnight hour You never feel alone You‘re really not alone May the wind take your troubles away May the wind take your troubles away Both feet on the ground Two hands on the wheel May the wind take your troubles away

Taken from Dixie’s motivational book for the Ultimate Arctic Expedition 2002; one of Julie’s motivational writings (quote from the song “Windfall” by Son Volt)

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“A tree is not looking to produce fruit, he is made to give it.” Zen saying

“Go places, leave no traces.” Common saying among outdoor nature enthusiasts

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Subtle traces “My father wanted me to describe the painting once more. ‘But nothing has changed since the last time,’ I said. ‘I want to hear it again,’ he insisted, hunching over in his chair to get nearer to the fire. Being blind seemed to make my father hate winter even more. His other senses strengthened, he felt the cold acutely, smelled the stale air in the house, tasted the blandness of the vegetable stew more than my mother. He suffered when the winter was long. ‘The baker’s daughter stands in a bright corner by a window,’ I began patiently. ‘She is facing us, but is looking out the window, down to her right. She is wearing a yellow and black fitted bodice of silk and velvet, a dark blue suit, and a white cap that hangs down in two points below her chin.’ ‘As you wear yours?’ my father asked. ‘Yes, like mine. When you look at the cap long enough,’ I added hurriedly, ‘you see that he has not really painted it white, but blue, and violet, and yellow.’ ‘But it is a white cap, you said.’ ‘Yes, that’s what is so strange. It’s painted many colors, but when you look at it, you think it’s white.’ ‘Tile painting is much simpler,’ my father grumbled. ‘You use blue and that’s all. A dark blue for the outlines, a light blue for the shadows. Blue is blue.’ I did not like him being critical of the painting without having seen it, or comparing it to the tiles he had once painted. I wanted to tell him that if he could only see the painting he would understand that there was nothing confusing about it. It may not have told a story, but it was still a painting you could not stop looking at.” Text from Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, 1999, a novel about a sixteen-year-old girl in the 1660’s who was forced to become a maid for the family of the famous painter Johannes Vermeer after her father was blinded in a kiln accident. The girl desperately wishes to leave her own imprints via her subtle influence on Vermeer, even though her position prevents her from striving for her own passion.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Suffering exists. How we react to it allows it to be intense or not.â&#x20AC;? His Holiness The Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, (co-authored by Howard C. Cutler, M.D.) 1998

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Discovery “ And they chased him and they never could catch him ‘cause they didn’t know what he looked like … when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things … Atticus, he was real nice.” (six-year-old Scout Finch in a bedtime conversation with her father)

“Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” (her father, Atticus Finch) Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird, 1960 ... one of the first books in American literature which dared to explore the interracial problems between Black and White in the Deep South of the 1930's.

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ZEN MEDITATION The Sonjiji Temple near Yokohama, Japan, may be just another place of well-kept pride and tradition, but the visitor who opens himself up to discovery in the field of meditation, can take home simple recipes to discover new ways of finding peace and quiet. After a short visit with the High Priest (who was earthly enough to proudly say that he had met the Pope and that he had studied English) he calmly explained the principles of Zen meditation.

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Every gesture of the body has a meaning: The way you fold your hands onto your lap. The slow progress of finding peace in the lotus posture. How you use the cushion. How you keep your eyes open while meditating. Concentrating on ONE thing or NO THING Concentrating on your breath Every sound goes deeper: The chirping of the crickets The chants of the disciples Squeaking wooden floors Shuffling feet hindered by black robes Every view represents intensity: The combination of simple tradition and modern technology The immaculate state of the temple, the gardens, the living quarters Every body moves quietly: Rituals that exude peace Dixie Dansercoer, â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Quest for Serenity,â&#x20AC;? personal journal, Japan 1996

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Being alone One of the necessary conditions to manage the commotion of our society is to retreat into your own quiet inner self. Finding a haven of calm. It can be done in the loudest train station or with many people around you, but it can admittedly more easily manifest itself in a place where you can physically be alone. The art of it all is to surround yourself by whatever helps you in the process. You can consider those moments of being alone as stages in the slow journey of self discovery. What talents do I have? What can I do with my body? And so many other questions. Impulsive actions mean a break with your past and your development, but without the necessary depth. My expeditions have taught me how to safely take risks, to prepare myself in excellent manner, to get excited, to deal with the cold. Every time, one of the strong goals has been to leave the comfort and protection zones in order to search for the real me and how I could tolerate being alone. This is not so easy to do and therefore you need to live according to strict personal rules out of respect for nature and your expedition partner(s). In this way you are consciously aware of potential problems: how do I deal with misfortune, with monotony? Ups and downs are part of the game, but one has to stay positive and think of tomorrow, a daily fresh start. It is also permitted to dip, but diving too deep is inviting depression. When you can openly invite emotions, knowing that it is mankindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nature, you can consider them like the weather: never only bad. Dixie Dansercoer in an excerpt from Stil Leven (Still Life)

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Serendipity “I receive remarkable letters. They are opened for me, unfolded, and spread out before my eyes in a daily ritual that gives the arrival of the mail the character of a hushed and holy ceremony. I carefully read each letter myself. Some of them are serious in tone, discussing the meaning of life, invoking the supremacy of the soul, the mystery of every existence. And by a curious reversal, the people who focus most closely on these fundamental questions tend to be people I had known only superficially. Their small talk had masked hidden depths. Had I been blind and deaf, or does it take the harsh light of disaster to show a person’s true nature?” Jean-Dominique Bauby (a victim of a massive stroke and its subsequent “locked-in syndrome” … able only to communicate with the blink of his left eye), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, 1997

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The most beautiful moments The enormous “lead” (area of open water in the Arctic ice) that we crossed, paddling our sledges. Five hundred meters of sheer intensity, never before experienced exhilaration, suppressed fear. And still, it was the water bouncing off the sledges that gave us peace. The walrus that surprised us by breaking through the ice with his tusks and just sitting there, breathing. His muzzle sniffing up the air while we were standing on the ice right over him. Sounds that will sound on forever. The same walrus swimming incessantly under our tent an hour later, whining like a whale and constantly tapping the ice, looking for a soft spot. Intense moments of living a priviliged life. Looking at the other “shore” of a newly opened lead and seeing it move at a speed of 5 kms/hr. Seconds later, feeling the ice beneath my feet vibrate like during an earthquake. Fear most likely then confused my brain and I could not figure out anymore what shore was moving now. Visually trapped. The sheer realisation of the grandeur of this mass of saline ice while climbing on one of those big blocks of ice, overlooking the immense chaos. Seeing endless problems but feeling so happy.

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Discovering the shine of the polar bear’s yellow hide, reflected by the sun. I was only served this surprising thought before falling asleep that same night, since it was my subconscious that had recorded this sign of beauty in those moments of fear. The three meters of separation between us, forced us to think of other things... The endless shades of white, created by the polar ever changing environment: beige, grey, silver, yellow, black, green, opaque, .... The magic of the tent where everything suddenly becomes easy again. The incredible cosiness of the sleeping bag: totally locked up in this cocoon, it is the perfect concert hall for the music that provides us with one of the few necessary luxuries. Skiing over flexible carpet of newly-formed sea ice, shuffling dangerously slow, but never stopping because the sledge was breaking through the ice... The “flow” that comes with the routine gestures. Feeling the efficiency, maybe near-perfection and being proud of it. The inner mental expedition that make you one with the surrounding nature. Becoming a bit animalistic, intuition becomes instinct.

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The most difficult moments The uncertainties of a timely departure and the problems regarding the rescue on the ice. The feeling of not being in control anymore, to have to deal with communication problems. Keeping the sleeping bag ice-free. Little ice blocks formed in the insulation material and had to be thawed every night by using our bare hands to rub them until the moisture could be taken out. Going to the toilet in the morning when we had to come out of our zone of relative comfort. Dreading the result of ice drift finding a place inside our warm clothing which meant taking off our clothes in the tent and brushing off the ice crystals that limit protection of the clothing. My feet that try to tell me that they were not given to me to do this kind of thing. The first hour of progression that numbs your limbs from the intense cold. At the end of the day when the tent needs to be put up and your body has no energy left, the cold is like a school of piranhas. More good than bad points, surely a good sign! A simple comparison, notes from Dixieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journal during his Ultimate Arctic Expedition, 2002

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“I should like to spend my whole life travelling, if only I could borrow another to spend at home.“ William Blake

“All too often we perpetuate our pain, keep it alive, by replaying our hurts over and over again in our minds, magnifying our injustices in the process. We repeat our painful memories with the unconscious wish that somehow it will change the situation … but it never does. If we think about the injustices done to us, then that feeds the hatred. We often add to our pain and suffering by being overly sensitive, overreacting to minor things and sometimes taking things too personally.” His Holiness The Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, (co-authored by Howard C. Cutler, M.D.) 1998

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Complacency “ ‘It’s a disease. Nobody thinks or feels or cares anymore; nobody gets excited or believes in anything except their own comfortable little God damn mediocrity.’ Milly Campbell would writhe in pleasure. ‘Oh, that’s so true. Isn’t it true, darling?’ They would all agree, and the happy implication was that they alone, the four of them, were painfully alive in a drugged and dying culture.” Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road, 1961

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Monotony As a seasoned polar traveller, monotony is a very welcome enemy. We install the regularity of a strict marching schedule: 50 minutes walking or skiing, 10 minutes rest. Again and again. Because of that monotony you are invited to meditate at the same time you are physically active. It is a mental process that I call “mindsurfing”. It is the chance to depart from your physical being a bit like a long distance runner’s experience. The mind is absent while the body follows its routine. Monotony is no problem: we enjoy it. Dixie Dansercoer in an excerpt from Stil Leven (Still Life)

“… and while I have made all of these major transformations possible, I have only done so in one sense: I have allowed myself to remain open to all of life’s various possibilities. Some other form of energy, one to which I remain humble, has chosen the details for me.” Julie Brown, Shades of White

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“In my sex fantasy, nobody ever loves me for my mind.” Nora Ephron

“Only I discern Infinite Passion, and the pain Of infinite hearts that yearn” Robert Browning 1812- 1889

“The only thing that can stop hair falling is the floor.” Will Rogers

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photographic references Cover

Alesch glacier, Wallis, Switzerland

September 2003

Moosfluh, Wallis, Switzerland

September 2003

Dixie and Julie, Alesch glacier, Wallis, Switzerland

September 2003

Tunetschalp, Wallis, Switzerland

September 2003

p 11

Dixie and Julie, Alesch glacier, Wallis, Switzerland

September 2003

p 13

Wood detail in my garden, Belgium

February 1994

p 23

Alesch glacier, Wallis, Switzerland

September 2003

p 25

Martine at Salina Maris, Breiten, Switzerland

September 2003

p 37

Stockcar, De kluis, St Joris Weert, Belgium

September 1994

p 39

In my garden, Belgium

Late Summer 1993

p 42

Anna and Jelle around my garden, Belgium

Late Summer 199

p 51

Detail, Industrial aerea, Leuven, Belgium

September 1993

p 59

Jo at Salina Maris, Breiten, Switzerland

September 2003

p 67

Alesch glacier, Wallis, Switzerland

September 2003

p 69

Cap Blanc Nez, France

Autumn 1976

p 77

Witto De Meulder, Brussels (ad campaign)

November 1992

p 79

Experiment with my Hasselblad,

Winter 1997

p 87

Stockcar, De kluis, St Joris Weert, Belgium

October 1993

p 89

Alesch glacier, Wallis, Switzerland

September 2003

p 97

Alesch glacier, Wallis, Switzerland

September 2003

p 99

Alesch glacier, Wallis, Switzerland

September 2003

p 100

Insel Hombroich, Neuss, Germany

September 2002

p 109

Still life with letters from friends, home, Belgium

Late summer 1994

p 121

Motorway sky, Belgium

September 1997

Photographs by Herman Vanaerschot Copyright protected by SOFAM.

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Quotes and text references Page 4

Page 8

Page 11

Page 15

excerpt from Jean-Dominique Bauby, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, copyright 1997, Editions Robert Laffont, S.A., Paris, ISBN 0-375-70121-4 quote by Eudora Welty (written in 1984 for One Writer’s Beginnings: Finding A Voice) from Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (17th edition) Justin Kaplan, general editor, copyright 2002, Little, Brown and Company ISBN 0-316-08460-3

Page 17

quote by Pope John Paul I (Albino Luciani in his original epilogue from Illustrissimi, 1978) from Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (17th edition) Justin Kaplan, general editor, copyright 2002, Little, Brown and Company ISBN 0-316-08460-3

Page 24

Page 28

Page 29

Page 30

excerpt from an article written by Martin Beith in “Periscope,” Newsweek Magazine, 30 April 2001 edition

Page 38

Page 39

Page 40

Page 44

advertisement for Samsonite in various media quote by Conrad Aiken

Page 52

Page 53

Page 61

Page 68

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excerpt from Steven Callahan, Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea, copyright 1986, Houghton Mifflin Company ISBN 0-618-25732-2 quote by Fernando Pessoa personal dedication to Dixie Dansercoer by Norman D. Vaughan, inside cover of the book My Life of Adventure (co-written by Cecil D. Murphy), copyright 1995, Stackpole Books ISBN 0-8117-0892-6

Page 71 Page 78

quote by J.R.R. Tolkien from Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (17th edition; Justin Kaplan, general editor) copyright 2002, Little, Brown and Company ISBN 0-316-08460-3 quote from Jack London, Martin Eden, copyright 1909, The Macmillan Company ISBN 0-14-018772-3 quote by Julie Brown in an excerpt from Een Passie Moet Je Volgen (Follow Your Passion), copyright 2002, Uitgeverij Van Halewyck ISBN 90 5617 408 8

Page 88

Page 90

Page 91

Page 98

Page 102

Page 110

Page 114

quote from William Blake from Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (17th edition; Justin Kaplan, general editor) copyright 2002, Little, Brown and Company ISBN 0-316-08460-3 excerpt from His Holiness The Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living (co-authored by Howard C. Cutler, M.D.), copyright 1998, Riverhead Books ISBN 1-57322-111-2

Page 122

Page 123

quote by Dixie Dansercoer in an excerpt from Stil Leven (Still Life), copyright 2003, Uitgeverij Lannoo ISBN 90 209 52625-NUR 740 quote by Julie Brown from Shades of White, copyright 2002, Uitgeverij Van Halewyck ISBN 90-5617-991-8

Page 124

quote by Nora Ephron, Untamed Tongues: Wild Words from Wild Women, copyright 1993, Conari Press ISBN (ASIN) 0943233518 quote from Robert Browning from Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (17th edition; Justin Kaplan, general editor) copyright 2002, Little, Brown and Company ISBN 0-316-08460-3 quote from Will Rogers from 21st Century Dictionary of Quotations, copyright 1993, Dell Publishing ISBN 0-440-21447-5

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Thank you Many people have inspired us to produce this workbook and we want to begin by acknowledging their impact on our efforts. Our first and deepest thank you goes to Herman Vanaerschot, an artist who does not allow the word “mediocrity” to creep into his soul. Our hope is to work with him again in the future, if only to absorb a modicum of Herman’s unique creativity. Thank you also to Wolf Van de Casteele for his original ideas regarding the layout of this book. Jean-Pierre Verscheuren of IJsbreker receives our humble thanks for sharing his talented colleagues with us during the time that it took to give birth to our admittedly emotional project. An De Coster of Arctic Paper must be recognized for her generous support of the Milestones project by donating the paper which composes this book. We are honoured by the willingness of the folks at Arctic Paper to help us realize our creative projects at Circles. Our joint commitment to environmental ethics solidifies our new cooperative bond. Thanks to Marcus and Francisca Schmid and their staff at the Badehotel Salina Maris in Breiten, Switzerland for their kind hospitality and their inspiring location. Our gratitude is extended to Ursula Maag, District Manager of Switzerland Tourism Belgium/Luxemburg and to Myriam Winnepenninckx, Manager of the

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Switzerland Convention and Incentive Bureau (SCIB) Benelux for their faith in the Circles Center in Switzerland. Their active support of our project has made a dream come true. Rafael Enzler, Director of Switzerland Tourism Benelux must also be recognized for his belief in Circles over the last several years. We also thank Manu Broccard of Valais Tourisme, Vincent Bornet and Laurence Herren of Sierre Anniviers Tourisme, and Mario Braide of Riederalp Tourismus for their logistical support and warm hospitality during our visits to their lovely regions in Switzerland. We say a profound thanks to all of our guests at the Circles Center who have lent their images to this project. In order to protect their privacy, we will not mention names, but we hope that each and every person senses our appreciation for his/her participation in the activities in and around the Aletsch Glacier and their willingness to pioneer our project. May this book serve as a souvenir from your visit to a very special place. Jasper, Evelien, Thijs and Robin Dansercoer are lovingly thanked for their continuous patience during another one of our time-consuming projects. Their presence in our lives remains the greatest privilege and inspiration for us both. We dedicate this book to you, our dear children, in the hope that the road before you unfolds with surprising milestones. Julie Brown and Dixie Dansercoer 4 December 2003

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Thank you, too First I would love to thank Julie and Dixie for offering the opportunity to work together. Cooperating on a project is always an enriching exchange of ideas and a wonderful experience. It was worth waiting all of those years to park some of my photographs in an edition like this. Thanks also to Jean-Pierre Verschueren and Wolf Van de Casteele, my loyal partners and colleagues at IJsbreker, for bringing Switzerland Tourisme and Circles together in this project. Brilliant creative craftsmanship, Wolf. Thanks. Grateful thanks to my wife, Mieke, and my children, Anna, HĂŠlĂ¨ne, and Frank for the fine friendship over the years. And not to be forgotten, little sparkling Yasmine, who did find a home in our family. Icebreakingly yours, Herman Vanaerschot 4 December 2003

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