An unexpected meeting at home - nature wisdom about timing and hospitality you feel.
At home, it begins. I walk through the house and watch our kitten Mio. He is focused and alert. On the floor is a green grasshopper. One tap with Mio's paw. A high arc through the air. I feel excitement and fascination at the same time. As if nature comes in for a moment and whispers: look, listen, move with me. According to symbolism, a grasshopper ín the home means change and progress, resilience and adaptability, inner strength and intuition, happiness and prosperity - and sometimes (divine) synchronicity. Context colours the message. In this story, I take you from living room to hospitality and show how one leap makes everything lighter.
The grasshopper
He reminds me of change and progress. The grasshopper doesn't jump halfway. He chooses. He goes. So do I. No endless plans; but concrete choices that already give air today. A shorter lunch routine. A best-of recommendation that makes ordering easy. A compact tasting menu that makes guests smile and supports my margin. Small step. Visible movement.
He lets me resilience and adaptability feel. Mio taps. The grasshopper changes course and lands quietly. On the floor and in the case, the same thing happens. The weather turns. The occupation shifts. The energy changes. I regroup. I breathe. I change pace without it feeling strained. Smooth when ordering. Space at the main course. A light punch with dessert or coffee. This creates calm at the table and momentum in the team.
Then there is inner strength and intuition. The grasshopper moves when it knocks. Not too early. Not too late. I trust my professional sense. I hear doubt and offer a mini tasting. I see tired eyes and advise simplicity and comfort. It feels personal, almost natural. No trick. Experience that speaks - and that I dare to lean on.
The grasshopper also stands for happiness and prosperity. Not as a coincidence, but as an opportunity you see because you are paying attention. In practice, that is removing friction. Clear choices. Friendly phrases that give direction: "May I recommend something that suits tonight?" A little extra at the tipping point. Luck seems magic, but often it is preparation that comes in just in time.
And then there is synchronicity. Those nights when everything is right. The team is right where it should be. The kitchen is flowing. Guests come in at the right time. Then I say it out loud: "This flows." We capture the feeling so we recognise it again tomorrow.
Context colours the message. After a busy week, the grasshopper invites me to pause, repack and take one focused leap. In peak crowds, it reminds me of agility: rhythm over perfection. When in doubt, I listen to my intuition and choose clearly. After setbacks, I get up, adapt and jump on. I always ask myself the same question: what is the smallest good jump right now? Small is good. As long as it is focused.
This is what it sounds like when I work in the business. I watch for three seconds and then choose my first phrase. I steer the rhythm without pushing. I guide with guts and keep it light. If something goes wrong, I stop, acknowledge and fix it warmly. At the end, I anchor what worked: two things we keep, one thing that can be lighter tomorrow. This is how trust grows. First in the team. Then in the guest.
Back home. Mio taps. The grasshopper jumps. I smile. I see the lesson: hospitality is not to force, but to move with. Choosing instead of hunting. Listening instead of guessing. Nature is not a theory; it is a language I speak every day. With my eyes, my hands and my timing.
"Be like the grasshopper: jump with courage, play with the unknown, and trust that you will always land where you belong."
Nice how that grasshopper taught me this: attention is moving at the right time. Not big, but precise. You look, you feel, you jump and you land softly. This is exactly what we do every day at Onder de Linden in Roden: read the room, catch the timing, make the moment right.
The invitation
Learning feels like reading a good book: you open it, get carried away and don't want to close it before the last page. My journey with influence psychology provides new knowledge ánd makes me feel every time that true hospitality is all about spontaneity, genuineness, togetherness, sociability, intimacy, connection and trust. You write your story. Maybe this is the time to open your next chapter.
Browse inside Onder de Linden in Roden and experience the magic of attention. A story you won't want to close again. As a guest, as a listener, as a human being. Like the grasshopper: one brave leap at the right moment. Come in, feel the leap, let the happiness land. Together we will build new memories and unforgettable stories.
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