IMGP2506Recently, I have been spending time reminiscing about my time in Tuscany.  It was a place of beauty; cultured in slow peace and simplicity.  Tuscan summer, newly married; I discovered the pleasure of breathing deeply, smiling warmly and whole-heartedly, being present and delighting in each magical moment.  I’ve been reflecting on that time, and it is my compass needle pointing to the feeling and rhythm I desire for my life.

I had a grand coaching session today; connection and energy that really light up my day and my life.  I feel so fortunate to be doing what I am doing.

Which brings me to this–I’m reading Every Day in Tuscany, by Frances Mayes.  I’ve also read her other books, Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany.  I read this passage the other day, and recalled it today.

“In my early Italian years, the natural renewal I experienced came largely from being at home in nature again, playfully as in childhood.  As we began hacking brambles from the land and planting gardens–a rose garden, an herb garden, a vegetable garden, a shade garden–I realized that the blistering work, the aches and sweat and scratches of restoration were, like writing, where work and play became the same.” ~~ Frances Mayes, Every Day in Tuscany.

My wish for us, you and me, is that our future is filled by this place and time, where work and play become the same.