il dolce far niente.

The sweetness of doing nothing. One of my favorite Italian sayings. A craft that Americans haven’t embraced. I’m no exception – with a life stuck in overdrive. Having the grand pleasure of spending time in Italy with my husband, we were able to experience a small taste of this lifestyle. Particularly as our bodies had not quite adjusted to the time change and Jon’s stomach didn’t appreciate the stores and restaurants being closed during the afternoon. Our convenience-ridden ‘have to have it right now’ lifestyle didn’t align well in Italy. Yet, it was a powerful awakening to the beautiful life of simplicity.

This weekend was brutally busy. It launched with a Friday evening pizza party followed by seven basketball games and little league baseball tryouts. All while my husband was on duty volunteering for the local basketball association. It was the typical mathematical exercise of determining precisely how to be in two places at once. Little did I know at the time that my years of College Algebra and an MBA would be put to use in everyday life. (Two Grayson vehicles leave the garage at the same time. One heads to the high school the other to the middle school….You get the drift.)

Sunday afternoon at 2:00 the madness was over just as the snow began to fall. It was clear that it would be a no plans afternoon. It took just minutes for the flurry to turn to a near white-out. The couch and the warm pug sat there calling me, “Sit down, relax and curl-up.” So I did.

Take time to celebrate the sweetness of doing nothing. Here are a few of my favorites:

1) Sitting in a hot car in the middle of July. Sucking in the steamy air. Who cares if people stare at you as if you’re nuts? Winter in Minnesota is far too long not to enjoy a good car sauna.

2) Waking up early to watch my children sleep. Although they are 15 and 11, they still sleep like infants. It’s more relaxing than Yoga and a perfect time to reflect on how very special they are.

3) Lounging on the couch with a big bag of popcorn and a Soprano’s Marathon. There is nothing more exciting for a writer than to escape into a world so unfamiliar. The stories develop like wildfire.

Remember. Live simply and enjoy the small things in life. In just a few years, my precious children will be adults. Someday I will look back on the madness with envy and wished I could have it for just one more day. I’m blessed with this time in life and savor every minute of it.

Hotel Smell in a Can

Have you ever wondered why hotels all smell alike? I’ve stayed in hundreds of hotel rooms for business throughout my career yet never really thought much about this. But this morning when I finally cracked open the black TravelPro carry-on from the trip to Phoenix this week, the smell exploded into my bedroom. It infiltrated the contents of the small case. My clothing, shoes and even the small make up case smelled of stale sterileness. Is there such a thing as "Hotel Smell in a Can"? I pondered this thought for a few minutes.

As I unpacked my belongings the scent reminded me of a time where business travel was a way of life. Being away from my family for days, sometimes weeks at a time. A time when my self-worth was based on the number of first class upgrades I’d received for the year and the “oh so close to Platinum Status” that allowed me to board the steel vessel before any of the other less experienced business travelers. A life that appeared glamorous and shiny from the outside. A life that I look back now on as empty and unfulfilling.

I have to admit that I still like the finer things in life. It’s a recognized character flaw. But what I’ve learned over the past two years is that it doesn’t matter whether you are in the Four Seasons in Maui or the Motel 6 in Detroit, the smell is the same. The sterile smell of loneliness.