Life in the Hammock

Bring the holiday vibe into your home

It’s such a simple item. A hammock. But yet it gives us so much. A place to relax and rewind. A place to hide. A place to sleep. A place to get inspired. And a place to write. I made so many memories lying in a hammock. And honestly, they are almost exclusively positive memories.

Except for the one time when I fell asleep in the hammock and woke up because I fell out of it. But that is a different story.

“Write until it becomes as natural as breathing. Write until not writing makes you anxious.” — Christina Katz

What do we think about hammocks?

When reading the word hammock you probably had a picture in front of your eyes. A picture of a hammock. Somewhere on the beach. Between palm trees and a turquoise ocean behind it. Something similar to the picture above.

That’s what we associate with hammocks. But hammocks evolved. There aren’t just beach hammocks out there. There are hammocks in forests, on cliffs, and hammocks in your home.

Because hammocks are comfortable. Everyone wants to have a hammock. Everyone wants to lie in it and hide from the rest of the world. Because if I can’t see over the edge of the hammock, then nobody else can see me either. Or something like that.

What do I associate with hammocks?

Me too. I do associate hammocks with beach life. I associate them with happiness and nature. A hammock is for me as a traveler a multifunctional piece. It’s a luxury item. Kind of. But it’s also a simple item used for many purposes. And that’s what you need when traveling. Items you can use for many purposes.

You can actually sleep in them. If you have a good one. In the right shape. There are hammocks on the market made for adventure seekers. They are designed to be your bed. They include a mosquito net too. Because who wants to get bothered by insects while sleeping in nature?

I love my hammock. It’s just so comfortable. I just need a pillow and I’m gone. Like for hours, I would sleep in my hammock. Or the whole night.

I know I mentioned falling out of one once. But that was as a teenager. It was a garden party and there was this hammock. It wasn’t a great one. That is all I remember from the party. People sitting in the hammock falling out of it. People trying to sit in it and failing. Me sitting in it and balancing it out. Me falling asleep in it and falling out of it within an hour’s time.

It wasn’t a hammock meant for sleeping. Or sitting. It was just not a good hammock. But that was long time ago.

Let’s get back to the topic.

I love hammocks.

The reason why I bought myself a hammock

Having a hammock in your backpack means you’re carrying a piece of happiness with you. Right? At least that is what it means for me. And that is why I bought a hammock.

I bought a hammock when I left Namibia over a year ago. And I used it a lot. In Thailand. Obviously the right country for a hammock life. Or a happy life.

Carrying a hammock with you is actually carrying a bed with you. If you need to you can spend a night in a hammock. Just find a safe surrounding and put up the hammock. Good night.

I still have to figure out how and where to put up that hammock in my new flat here in Germany. Somewhere on the terrace. But if I really make a plan to set it up I might never leave that hammock.

With that view. How should I?

Hammock life is a good life

Life in the hammock is a relaxed life. It is about taking deep breaths, thinking about life, and looking at the sky. Lying in a hammock will take all the stress away from you. Because you start thinking about beach life. You hear the waves and feel the sunshine. And then you smile.

It’s always about how you look at things. And you can only look at a hammock from one side. From the positive one.

The beach

Most of my pictures are photographs taken on the beach. But the reason for it is that I have lived close to the beach for almost six years. Guess where you take all your pictures then?

Right.

On the beach.

And yes. Lying in a hammock on the beach is still the best. Or on the balcony of your small beach cottage. Surrounded by palm trees and the sound of the ocean.

Being creative in a hammock

I wrote lots of articles while lying in a hammock. Because I write a lot when traveling. And because it’s a comfortable position. Lying in a hammock. Your neck doesn’t hurt. Your back doesn’t hurt. You can stretch your legs. And relax your body.

While typing.

And while you’re just lying there the words just flow. They appear faster than I can write. But I catch them all. All the words. And all the thoughts. Because now is the moment. Now is the moment to write.

There is no better time to write than now.

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” — Ben Franklin

Do yourself a favor and go lie in a hammock when you get the chance to do it the next time. Just for half an hour. At least half an hour. And see how you feel afterward.