Reflections On Italy

TODAY WHILE TROLLING the hard drive on my Macbook Pro I came across a .txt file titled "Reflections on Italy." I must have written it while returning from our trip to Italy last Summer. Here is the full text; I think it's still good advice.

Spend less time on news, the Internet, and TV and more time reading, working in the garden, and listening to music.

Spend less time rushing from place to place and more time walking or strolling.

Walk more upright and with a swing in your arm.

Wear simple clothes that fit you well and are made from quality materials.

Don't worry so much about making a fantastic meal. Make meals that are simple and fresh, and they'll turn out fantastic all by themselves.

Take time to enjoy those meals. Eat them face to face, not in front of the television, and savor the courses and the conversation. A meal is a gathering and a reward to enjoy, not a task to complete.

Enjoy your wine regardless of its cost.

Plant more flowers, and lots of herbs, in your garden.

Have a simple breakfast every day.

Walk to the local market.

Enjoy the fruits of your own city. It has museums and architecture, too.

Comments

[j]

you should troll your hard drive more often. my addition (if I might): Eat the squid (in its own ink), and appreciate Italy's apparent lack of brazieriers.

[Alexandra Coursen]

Thank you for those important reminders. I can't agree more. So simple, and now to try to follow.

[paul]

good advice, all of it. we try to incorporate some of these into out lives here, but I see a couple I missed that will make a difference.

[paris]

>

[barbarella]

This fits perfectly with my research on the topic of simplicity. In fact, after amassing a load of books, journals, reprints and audio on the topic, I finally winnowed down the stack to the serviceable few; simplicity has to start somewhere, right? At the risk of toppling your list, I would add "Give thanks," which I do, for your thoughtful post.

[Leila]

Ok,I'm logging off now to go read Don Quixote for my book group. I spend way too much time on the computer.