Every year I go, Italy reminds me of the important things in life.
Two years ago, my husband and I got seated in the corner at our favorite beach club, after requesting a seat by the water. I was super bummed, because that view is one of my favorite in the world, and I had been looking forward to having a special lunch there all year, since our last trip. I was trying to get over my annoyance, when a group of 5 Italians came in, who clearly knew the staff well, and were seated next to us in the corner despite asking, as we did, to sit by the water. The hostess had said to both of us, “These are great seats too; it’s just a different view.”
She turned out to be right. It was a different view, a synchrotastic one, indeed!!!
Before we left NY, the manager at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants told us the owners were in Capri, wrote their first names down on the restaurant card and told us to ask for them in Capri. My husband and I both laughed thinking, “There is no way we are going to find them there!” Guess who was sitting next to us the day we got the “bad” table?!!! Enzo and Pepe, the owners of our favorite neighborhood restaurant. They were a part of the group of 5 Italians!
While I was in Italy this time, I got a similar message reading this great book called The Surrender Experiment, by Michael Singer. It’s the story of how he dropped out of grad school to become a yogi, meditate and quiet his mind by surrendering to the moment. Through surrendering all his plans all the time, he wound up, being led to start a spiritual center, then a contracting company, then a software company, which revolutionized medical billing and made billions of dollars, and to write several books, a New York Times bestseller at that! It was another reminder to just get out of the way, to stop resisting change, and to be open to the possibilities each moment can bring without expectations.
So, next time something doesn’t go as planned; stop, maybe calm down with one of the exercises you have learned from this blog, and then be open to what might happen next;)
Maybe something synchrotastic could occur?!
As the hostess said; it’s just a different view, and taking time out to see if you could be shown another way or a different perspective, could be super rewarding, maybe even magical!
Thanks again Italy! You always wow me!
Both the views and the food are awe-inspiring. We just can’t get ingredients that are as fresh and unadulterated in the US. And, Italians have an appreciation of the beauties of life, which they take pride and joy in sharing with you. They could teach us a thing or two about pleasure.
They know how to surrender to the moment, how not to sweat the small stuff, how not to take yourself too seriously, and how to focus on what is really important- love of family, friends and the enjoyment of the pleasures of life- good food and wine!
So in the spirit of Italy, I invite you to surrender to your moments today. Be present in all your possibilities, even if life isn’t going as planned, and take note of all the beautiful people, places, things and FOOD in your life today!
There is more joy then you might think right here, right now 😉
May it be yours!
With love,
Oh! Oh! Oh! And, if you are looking to take a magical vacation this summer. Come with me to Soul Camp! Like Italy, I go every year, because I have such a magical time! It’s a sleepaway camp for adults, that is AWESOME! With over 50 mind-opening workshops and soul-discovering classes, from energy work and yoga to hip hop dance classes AND all the nature adventure courses and lake toys you could imagine, it’s an experience that can hardly be described in words. Click HERE for more info; hope to see you there!
