Three Things, my post series, inspired by my love for bite-sized, tiny but mighty pieces of information.

One. This —

Another reason why we should stop being so hard on ourselves:

In this article in the New York Times, Dr. Richard Davidson, the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says “Self-criticism can take a toll on our minds and bodies. It can lead to ruminative thoughts that interfere with our productivity, and it can impact our bodies by stimulating inflammatory mechanisms that lead to chronic illness and accelerate aging.”

Chronic illness and accelerated aging? No thanks.

__________

Two. Been thinking about this —

“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”

— Fred Rogers

__________

Three. Stop the dirge. Add in some care. —

It’s hot here. HOT. Totally normal for summer in Italy. I made this carrot and ginger soup last night. I wanted to serve it cold. But by the time it was ready, it was time to eat, so eat it hot we did. And it was super delicious. Especially topped with these baked, crispy chickpeas.

I’m not afraid to admit that making dinner is the BANE of my existence. Correction: it’s not the making that is the BANE, it’s the figuring out what to make. But when I take a bit of time and don’t treat it like a dirge, it makes all the difference. You can taste it in the food. And Mimmo proclaimed it a 9.5 for dinner and raved about it cold, the next day for lunch. Which is super high praise from an Italian. They don’t mess around with food.

What did I learn from this? A little care goes a long way. Noted.