Nabalo: Iris and Rolf – authors of lifestyle blog NABALO about the nature, travelling, adventure and… coffee 🙂 They promote a lifestyle of happiness and inspire us everyday! Get to know them!
Your name, Nabalo, has its own history and roots. Tell us more about this idea.
Nabalo is the combination of three aspects that we base our life on: Nature, Balance & Love. For us personally, at our very core there is very little more we need. Our business was born out of the dream that both Rolf and I had to combine these three concepts. Nabalo is a lifestyle, it’s a feeling, and it’s out truth.
Nature does not provide the way. It provides no straight lines. To us, Nature has everything to do with finding our true path, because that is where we can find our true nature. It does not provide explanations. It provides riddles. And the real answers can be found in the arms of Mother Earth. In nature the connection is to all.
But how to find Balance? We all have our dark side and it needs to be there to make our light shine even brighter. Even our daily work is needed to make the time we can spend leisurely more pleasant. Life needs the masculine and feminine to come together in an act of finding it in blissful union. Yes, being in Balance is utopia, it can’t be found, but if you strive for the Balance you will thrive in Life.
All beings are the very essence of Love. Love begins with loving ourselves. Lovemaking creates sacred union. Love builds. Connects. Empowers. Love is here, there, everywhere. Love is the one thing we can only give more of, get more of, and experience more of. That to us, is Nabalo. It flows, it rings, it connects, it just feels right.
What living style would you like to promote?
This might sounds like a cliche but we promote a lifestyle of happiness. When you think about it, isn’t it the happiness what drives us? When we eat unhealthy, it’s only a matter of time before we will feel unhealthy and unhappy. The same goes for negative thoughts, not enough movement, being away from nature for too long, unhealthy relationships, not chasing your dreams or not enough self care. Everything comes back to happiness.
For us happiness means living as close to nature as we can, travel the world in every possible way, being able to help people find more nature, balance and love in their lives, and trying to reach supreme health through organic food, superfoods, herbs and lot’s of relaxation.
How did your passion for adventure begin?
I think I was born with it. However I cannot think of a time where I haven’t felt this craving for adventure, the need to explore. I loved going on road-trips with family when I was a little girl. The start of traveling by myself was at the age I was legally allowed to do it, that is 16. My first backpacking trip to the United states was at the age of 17. From that time on I have lived in the Netherland, Sweden, Canada and in multiple states in the US, and I’m not done yet. I think that the desired feeling behind all this traveling in seeing as much of nature as I possibly can.
You’re writing on your blog about „the rituals”. What types of rituals are your favourite ones and you cannot imagine your life without them?
My morning ritual. I start my day with some grounding practices like deep breathing, stretching and using grounding essential oils like vetiver and pine. Then I try to get my bare feet on the earth as soon as possible by spending some time in our yard or in the forest. I think that this ritual of grounding is very important to me because we travel so much. It gives me a feeling of being home, especially with a cup of coffee in my hand
You’re writing about the nature as your muse. And a lot of your pictures present the forest. Is it your favourite place to take a rest and recharge your battery, or do you love something else in it?
To me nature is everything, it is the place where I recharge and find peace after a busy day. It’s the place that fuels my creativity and bring me happiness. It’s what I like to photograph most, especially when it comes to product photography. But nature is also the place where my food comes from, without nature we would not be alive. She feeds me with her food, she heals me with her herbs and she brings me peace with her beauty.
Do enamelware match your style? Do you have any memories connected with enamelware?
Enamelware is such a blessing to our lifestyle! I love the strength and the look of it. We can hang the cups on our backpacks and start our adventure. I don’t like using plastic, for both environmental and health reasons. Stone or glass is way to vulnerable, so enamelware is the perfect fit for us. And yes it reminds me of the oldschool mugs that my grandma use to have!
What I like especially about Emalco enamelware are the quotes! I can feel that the designs are made by like minded people, people that have respect for nature and people that adventure!
