Hello, World❣️

Happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers❣️ I’m sending much love and appreciation your way and hope the day fills your heart with joy.

                                                                                                ❤️❤️❤️

During this past week,  I have really been loving various forms of vicarious travel.  

I was watching, perhaps like many of you,  the Milan Cortina Olympics—what a trip!  I  love seeing the Italian landscape, hearing the Italian language (and French and Spanish!) and seeing all of the talented and courageous athletes from all over the world.  What inspiration! 

And when I wasn’t watching the Olympics, I was travelling in a different way by reading a book about Japan, a country I know little about.  The book is Letter from Japan by Marie Kondo (author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up) with Marie Iida. 

It is a gentle read that opened my eyes to Japanese customs, cuisine, spirituality, and sense of beauty and also to the author’s life and philosophy.  Reading the book inspired me to want to experience a tea ceremony, to read my first Manga (I did!) and to taste more Japanese food.  

According to Kondo, “In Japan, the enjoyment of food is a national pastime.”  I can identify with that!  And I can also relate to her discussion of the importance of the “vessel” that holds the food.  As she says, “…It’s important to think about how the vessel itself harmonizes with what’s inside it…Using a special bowl you cherish can inspire you to cook at home or try that recipe you’ve been meaning to attempt.”  

I took her advice, got out my blue and white soup bowls from Finland that I brought back from Sweden 55 years ago (!)             

and made my family’s Italian minestrone while listening to Andrea Bocelli singing “Nessun Dorma.”   Now there’s a mix of cultural influences!  

I loved Letter from Japan not only for all that I learned but also because of the beautiful look and feel of the book in my hand. It all seemed a very fitting manifestation of the book’s dedication…”to all who seek beauty in the everyday.”

Here’s to more travel —vicarious and real—to  places known and unknown for all the inspiration, beauty, fun, learning and culinary delights they provide.  

                                                                                                ❤️❤️❤️