Cleaning My Mind

This weekend I tried to take the time to do all activities mindfully. Be present with my friends, enjoy searching for books and practice DJing.

Last Friday I went out with a few of my old classmates that are now in 5th year. We started at a bar that has been a staple throughout the years at HEI, la Faluche. The evening ended at my place at half past four in the morning with some deep talks.

I felt really grateful to get to speak to these people, it really calmed my mind and helped me stay present throughout while hosting them.

The next day, with some of the same people we went to a book fair that took place in the Baazar of St So. We expected a place where there would be old and cheap books, but it was mostly authors presenting their work.

We didn't find much there, so we decided to head to central Lille to the Old Stock Exchange (a historic building housing booksellers) and the Furet du Nord (book store). I found an Agatha Christie novel and also a Jacques Brel vinyl for myself.

Next I returned home and cleaned my whole apartment meticulously for two and a half hours. It was not only cleaning but reordering and replacing some things that had not been touched for four years.

Every time I clean my house it feels like cleaning my mind simultaneously. For me, a cluttered space creates mental clutter too. Reordering things also really made me take a step back and consider alternative solutions to storing random stuff that I have accumulated over these four years. As I reorganized my bookshelf, I found notes from the past and let myself pause to read them. This is something I'd never have done on a weekday.

In the evening I went to a friend's place to practise for our b2b (back to back) that will be this upcoming Thursday. A b2b is a DJ set performed by two artists simultaneously, it can be rather challenging because each person has different tastes and visions for the set.

We played a version of the set we will be performing. The set will be an hour and thus we mixed for about an hour and a half to get a grasp of what each of us had in our music library.

Every transition flowed smoothly. There is beauty in enjoying each other's music and offering another song to either match or switch the vibe.

For contrast, here is the intensity of my typical workday: classes from 8 a.m until 7 p.m and then calls about the monetary situation of the treasury. Then I need to grab or make dinner before starting homework, and ideally, I would like to work out.

All of these weekend activities described are regular day-to-day activities, yet during the week I tend to be running around with multiple things on my mind – some homework, the technical project we are working on, the treasury of the student council, the upcoming internship or the exchange that I spoke about last week.

Being present is a form of art , and I am yet to master it. This weekend reminded me it's possible and what it offers. I could clearly feel something shift—like a reset button clicking in my mind, clearing space for what matters.

This Week's Suggestions:

🎶 "merci bonne journée" by Mairo and H JeuneCrack:

Mairo, the headless horseman, feels like a fitting character for my weekday character. The whole album "omar chappier" is an incredible 20 minute journey into French rap that I highly recommend. From lyrics to production it has depth.

Have a mindful week!