The one with "la Gioia di fare niente"

There are many things which I love about Florence, among them are:

• Cobblestones (even if they occasionally make me fall)
• The charm of cracked plaster on ancient walls
• Prendere un Cafe
• Piazzas in which to sit & relax
• Beauty everywhere!

• Great restaurants
• Constant flattery
• Music wafting down the streets
• Telling the time by bells
• Long drawn-out dinners
• Double-cheek-kissing when greeting friends
• An air of greatness which refuses to be outdated

But what comes to light the most as I wander the streets is how much more it seems that Italians enjoy life, moment by moment. You see old men strolling through a Piazza slowly, thin hands behind their back, or a cigar in hand, pensive & mindful. Young lovers hold one another close as they walk together or stop to kiss passionately without regard.

Fathers take time to sit in a Piazza with their child & speak about life. People of all ages walk slowly & enjoy gelato. People stop to listen & appreciate the music being played in the streets, & no one has anywhere which is more important to be than directly in that moment.

Things are hardly perfect, but the Italians don't act as though that they are, nor that they need to be. I feel that they laugh more freely.

The one with the blackboard

I try to always to remember how blessed I am with all the wonderful things & people in my life; however, every once in a while those busy moments in life come along where you get caught up in all the things which worry you. You get so caught up in a single dark moment that it is difficult to remember all the ways in which we are fortunate.

Luckily, on a daily basis, I am given a simple reminder that life is what you make it, & I wish to make mine fabulous! On my drive to work, I pass a home which has a large blackboard positioned to face the road. Upon it, the owners of the house write what I call "Daily Inspirations". Today's read "Obstacles are Adventures"

I sent the owners a letter thanking them for giving hope & inspiration to the people driving by...I hope it made their day the way they always make mine.

In a similar fashion, I work on a small but very successful group of 8 people, each day of the work week one of us gets to leave a "daily brief", where we leave a quote & how it relates to our Team. I particularly liked todays, to a point it inspired this post:

"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain"

The Law of attraction: surround yourself with positivity, & your life will everything you feel & experience. My life is perfection, my life is beautiful, I live in abundance.

Life is a beautiful place & I'm grateful to be within it! Here are some of the other "daily inspirations" I remember:

"Peace begins with you"

"You are Beautiful"

"Be grateful for Today"