07/09/2026
๐ธ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐.
Whether it's my daughters living in Alaska and Chicago, my parents in Italy, or dear friends spread across Europe and here in the U.S., I don't want to assume that life will naturally keep us close.
๐'๐ฏ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ. ๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ.
During COVID, I started calling my parents every day. Living on another continent, I realized how much those calls meantโnot only to them, but to me.
Some days we talk for a while.
Other days, I simply share my lunch while they're having dinner.
Sometimes it's only five minutes because life is busy.
But I show up.
Recently, I realized I was longing for that same regular connection with my daughters. So I asked if we could start a weekly family call.
Will it happen every week? Maybe not.
Will everyone always be available? Probably not.
But I also realized something...
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ง'๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐'๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ญ.
That lesson goes far beyond family.
How often do we quietly hope for more connection, more support, more help, or simply more time together... without ever expressing what we truly desire?
I've learned that asking isn't demanding.
It's vulnerable.
It's honest.
And sometimes, it's the very thing that opens the door to a deeper connection.
As I get older, I'm realizing that a flourishing life isn't just about taking care of our health.
It's also about nurturing the relationships that give our lives meaning.
๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ'๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ก ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จโ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐จ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฌ๐ค ๐๐จ๐ซ?
Much Love,
Elisabetta ๐
P.S. Can you see why my daughter calls me shrimpy when she stands next to me? :)