By Anne Brugts, Story Terrace

Maurice: A valuable lesson for life

Seated on a small plastic chair in front of his gallery, Maurice was enjoying the sun and a cigarette. As he was contemplating life, I joined him and asked about his most valuable lesson. 

‘From childhood on I’ve been searching. It started with collecting fossils. We used to go on holiday to France and I became hooked on archaeological sites. I wasn’t lucky enough to find something every single time, but I would pass hours on ancient sites. I value the fact that even as a young child I learned that once in a while you have to try hard before you’re rewarded.

As an older child I would still climb rocks to search for fossils, and more and more I became able to read in the details of the rocks whether there might be treasure hidden there. You become a trained searcher if you practise, and I think that lesson applies to the whole of life. You must look, search, analyse and then connect the dots.

Recently I held an exhibition of my book collection in my gallery. It was an assortment of books on fashion, cosmology and architecture. Some of the items were true treasures. Unfortunately, no one visited the exhibition. People seem to be less open to surprises as they age. They walk by with only their own goalposts in sight.

As an adult you should continue searching. For a child the world is a completely new place waiting to be discovered, but it’s a process you can carry on all your life. You can create your own freedom to keep on searching. That is what drives me and that way my life is never boring.’

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For Amsterdam Stories, Anne Brugts roams the streets of the Dutch capital to portray one citizen at a time.

About us: Story Terrace helps customers to capture personal stories in short books alongside professional writers. Our writers have a range of backgrounds and interests, sharing one passion: portraying individuals through well-crafted anecdotes and connected stories.