Some books make you want to fall in love with living again. Oddly for me these are always about some old outcast aunt of the family who has lived her life exactly as she pleases not giving a damn for what anyone else thinks of her. I wonder, is the universe trying to tell me something? …..
I’ll never be the old outcast single aunt. I guess I made sure of that young without even meaning to. However, could the universe be constantly trying to remind me that as my husband always likes to remind me, I’m too tightly wound.
If this year of constantly waiting, constantly slowing down with barely perceptible speed ups in between. That stressing over things actually makes them take 3 times as long. To all my fellow workaholics out there, I hear you laughing, yeah yeah, sure you’re full of it.
...I assure you I have put this to the test over the last 9 months. I have perfected my mornings to slow languorous, 2 to 3 hours of slow yoga, mediation, coffee and novels, while still managing to get the exact same amount of items done. How? Because I took the slow quiet morning and I let myself breathe. I didn’t stress. I didn’t lose the paper I needed 5 times because I was sooo frazzled from stress. I sat down at my computer, caffeinated, rested, relaxed and ready to focus, and banged out what I needed in less time than I normally would because I had created my air of focus.
My point in all of this is that we need to slow down. We need to give ourselves the moments that make life enjoyable. The moments that make us fall in love with living. The perfect cup of coffee with the perfect sunrise and a fluffy companion as we don’t stress over the inbox we haven’t checked yet, the work that we know needs doing but have relegated to a daily to do list and haven’t bothered to think about yet because it will all get done, the time is there, we just have to breathe into it.
“The star crossed sisters of Tuscany” was a book that first made my desire to see Italy in person someday that much stronger. And secondly and probably much more importantly has inspired me this past week to breathe into the little moments more, to stop stressing, stop trying to please (which I like the main character struggle with to no end). I am the second sister….maybe I’m cursed. Haha obviously no one can curse us if we don’t let them.
Maybe that’s a bit of a harsh speculation to draw. Emilia’s “nonna” was abusive. Yes she raised Emilia and her sister after their mother’s passing. But treating any child the way she treated Emilia with such obvious scorn and resentment makes my blood boil. Forcing a child to believe in a curse because it’s convenient for you and your shitty conscience is a horrible act. Then again to be honest, I’m sorry I hated Emilia’s “Nonna” she was despicable. I could never do the things she did to her sister. 1) I have an overactive sense of guilt and will apologize for things that aren’t even my fault and 2) what the fuck. Just what the fuck. I’ve been a pretty shitty sister in my day as a younger child but holy hell what she did takes the cake.
It also totally blindsided me, seriously props to you Lori, I did not see that one coming. I mean I did partially, way later than I should have, but the complete full deceitful hateful story I did not get. And here was Poppy, perfectly content to take the secret to her grave because she didn’t want to hurt her sister. I mean, not only is this woman so full of life and spunk and beauty, but her heart. The way she cares for the people she loves, no matter how they wronged her. How do I become her? Well part of her. I want that lust for life, to find such joy and happiness in every single moment. But if my sister treated me like that I’d smack her straight in the face and expect her to do the same if I ever acted even half as shitty.
Regardless of my hatred of the first sister. This book is so full of love, and light. This lust and thirst for life, not only within Poppy but finally within Emilia is so heartwarming. Everyone should get to experience that much passion and excitement in the world at least once in their life.
Maybe we should all be required to take trips to Italy...Haha no, I think it is more we all need to strive for that happiness, stop striving for fortune and capitalist gains. I’m not saying don’t succeed at work, or that it’s bad, I have a career, I want to succeed. I’m saying that career isn’t everything, family isn’t everything. Yes they are both important and family is one of the most important things. However, being true to yourself, finding the person you want to be, finding your happiness. That is the most important thing, because you’re no good to family, you’re no good to work, you’re no good to anything if you haven’t taken care of yourself first.
“The Star Crossed Sisters Of Tuscany” by Lori Nelson Spielman
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Star_Crossed_Sisters_of_Tuscany/4czYDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Comments
Post a Comment