What I learned in Italy

By Melissa Kathryn

I’m not meaning to sounds like I’m knocking our country, I am so proud to be an American (I just laughed as I typed that thinking of the song) but there are ways that we are living, or in my view, not living, in which we should be.

As I walked the streets of Florence, I was reminded of how wonderful it is to simply slow down, to take in every moment and be present.  I started my trip, working, that’s right, waking up in the middle of the night to work on programs and write my marketing.  That had to stop.  So, I packed it up and made the decision to fully immerse myself in my vacation and in the Italian culture. I am half Italian so that part came naturally…

I ate beautiful food, drank incredible wine, spent hours walking endlessly through cobblestone streets filled with history, art and natural beauty.  I spoke Italian, ok, I tried to speak Italian, and I met amazing people.  I took cooking classes, visited wineries, saw the countryside and was among loved ones, my family.  Life doesn’t get much better.

So what did I learn? I clearly can’t do that everyday but what I brought back with me that I want to share with you is this:

10 Tips Italians Live By to Live your Best and Healthiest, Most Pleasurable Life Yet:

1. Be present – don’t be caught up in the past or the future, the present is what you are living and experiencing now.

2. Enjoy your meals – taste your food, engage your company, take your time eating, drinking, talking and walking.  Meals are an experience and meant to be shared and enjoyed.

3. Family is your life-line – take care of each other, make amends, communicate, be open, spend time together.

4. Move more – walk everywhere, bike, run, dance – move your body.  It’s a gift, not a chore.

5. Simplify your life – the more you have, the more you need and the more you spend.  De-clutter.  Get clear on what you really need and want.

6. Surround yourself with love – Italians are always among family and good friends. They take care of one another.  We are all brothers and sisters.

7. Live Passionately – enjoy every moment.

8. Language is everything – speak passionately, mean what you say. You are the words that you speak.

9. Simplify your meals – Italians use no more than 5 ingredients including all of their spices, which allows for the real flavors of your foods to be tasted and enjoyed.

10. Eat seasonally – eat for the season, eat fresh foods from the farmers market – less pesticides and chemicals.  Support your local farmers.

Challenge:

Incorporate at least 3 of the items listed above into your day each for 1 week and see how your day-to-day experience changes…for the better!

#bepresent #simplifyyourlife #MelissaKathryn #MichellePhillips #Enjoyfood #slowdown #Travel #livepassionately #eatseasonally