La Dolce Vita

I just returned from a two week holiday in Punta Cana – a little place of paradise on Earth located on the south side of the Dominican Republic. When I arrived in Punta Cana, I was reading a book set in Italy and it inspired me to give a theme to my vacation – la dolce vita (which is Italian for ‘the sweet life’). And la dolce vita it was – waking without alarms, meals made for me daily, drinks with umbrellas, afternoon naps, strolls along a white sand beach, frolicking in the salty waters of the ocean…

Needless to say, I felt a little melancholy about returning home. I thought, “I don’t want to leave this behind. How can I take this with me?”

And, as always, when you ask, it is given. Here was my answer. (I like to imagine this answer spoken by a sexy, Latino man with an equally sexy, Spanish accent. You, however, can imagine it any way you wish.)

“Fay, la dolce vita does not reside outside of yourself. It resides within; therefore, it is always with you. It is not the sand and surf that creates la dolce vita; it is seeing the beauty in the things that surround you. It is feeling the gratitude and joy that these things bring to you. So what it is it, Fay, that brings this gratitude, this joy to you in Saskatoon? Find that; experience that and la dolce vita is yours.”

Interesting. “So, what does bring me this feeling of la dolce vita?” I pondered. “How can I cultivate this sweet life at home, in everyday life?” The answers again came to me quickly. “Wrapping myself in a warm blanket and sipping decadent hot chocolate, listening to soothing music, making tasty meals from fresh ingredients, hearing my children’s laughter as they play, savoring brandy ensconced in a bean of chocolate, enjoying a hot bath with sea salts and essential oils, going to bed early, reading late, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face mixed with the cool winter air…”

I got it. I returned home and have felt quite content ever since.

What about you? Are you living the sweet life? Or is it more like a vinegary verve? If so, do not be upset. Just ask yourself the question, “How can I live la dolce vita now?” Listen for the list and live it. Know you do not need to run to a tropical country to find it. You have it with you all the time. You just must choose to experience it.

And in my knowing, in my finding of this sweet thing that is my life, I whisper to myself with gratitude in Italian, Spanish, and English, “Grazie! Gracias! Thank you.”

And that’s my perspective…