okay, yesterday was truly UNinspiring.  but i love my students.  they rock.  there are just so many of them on mondays.  not too many ~ it’s just hard to give as much as i want to give every single student, when i feel like i can barely make it through two of them.

i came home and made a vegan pizza.  homemade barbecue sauce is so delicious!  and has no sugar in it.  brilliant.  i will make that again.  whole wheat pizza crust from a can, probably not the healthiest choice.  but quick!!!  topped the pizza with the bbq sauce, fresh pineapple, chunks of bacon-flavored tempeh that were really good (can’t believe i’m saying that), caramelized onions, oregano, and slivered almonds.

i had two pieces and it was so rich that i couldn’t eat anymore.  maybe the bbq sauce needs to be diluted a smidge.

anyway, i swear i could talk about food every single day.  it was all i thought about before my new diet, and now, i’m officially OBSESSED.

this diet is so satisfying.  i can’t say that enough.  you eat things and they give you instant energy.  nothing makes you feel heavy, and i tell you, i am just ravenous for the next meal.  my doctor gave me a natural appetite suppressant/supplement.  i see why he gave that to me.  i could eat a HORSE.  but wait ~ that’s meat.  erfffff.

i could eat a TOFU HORSE.

YUCK!

okay, on to better subjects.  the hub gets national geographic and national geographic “traveler”.  he has left one particular mag in the bathroom for weeks, and every time i walk in there, i see this magazine that has a glorious picture on the cover, and the words, “DISCOVER THE ITALIAN SECRET”.

i think we discovered it this summer, and despite my dietary restrictions, i am still trying to keep that slice of life in our very healthy lives.  we can still live like italians, without eating meat and cheese, right?  hmmm…i’m not so sure.

anyway, the cover of this magazine, combined with that title i can’t stop reading over and over, is enough to remind me every day that i need to slow down and enjoy every single breath.  i need to unplug, say no, enjoy my gigs, love my students unconditionally, and sip my coffee slowly and thoughtfully every morning.

sure, outside my window, i hear the trains going by, the construction, the highway, sirens occasionally, and none of that reminds me of gorgeous tuscany.  but i love my view, and what happens inside our apartment is really what can resemble the italian lifestyle.  less e-mail and texting, less tv, calm.  refuge.  restoration. love.

Here’s a small caption of this beautiful article:

“CLAY AND I FLY TO TURIN FROM PARIS, WHERE ISABELLE IS ENROLLED IN THE FRENCH EQUIVALENT OF KINDERGARTEN, AND WHERE MY SON’S FAMILY HAS BEEN LIVING WHEN SCHOOL IS IN SESSION.  ‘NOW I’M AT HOME IN MY SOUL,’ CLAY SAYS, BEAMING, THE MINUTE WE SET FOOT ON ITALIAN SOIL. ‘JUST LOOK AROUND. IN PARIS EVERYONE SEEMS TO FROWN ALL THE TIME.  HERE, THEY’RE SMILING.’

his mother is the author of this article.  i love that she used the word “beaming” the minute he set foot on italian soil.  although my hub and i have had domestic issues, for lack of a better word, i really want this place to be “italian soil,” the place that makes us beam when we walk in the door.

so today, on my day off, i aim to make this place as lovely and cozy and restoring as i possibly can.  it always seems to be my goal on tuesdays.  but this time, i’m really going to do all that work with joy and love in my heart.