On a very long flight Saturday night, I watched Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts. I had read the book years ago, but had never seen the movie. I was particularly taken with the “Eat” part when she was in Italy trying to relax and do some soul searching after a recent divorce as well as a break-up.

An Italian friend tells her that Americans don’t know how to relax! OK, now I’m listening. He continues and says that we also don’t understand pleasure—we feel we have to earn it. But Italians know they deserve it. They even have a word for it—Dolce Far Niente—the sweetness of doing nothing. They can relax doing nothing without the added stress of their mind telling them, “You’re wasting your time! Get up! More can be done!”

Today, on a Monday, I am offering this foreign concept of Dolce Far Niente for all of us who don’t know how to relax. I am certainly the president of the “I don’t know how to relax” club, so no one needs this Dolce Far Niente advice more than me. Let’s give it a try. The sweetness of doing nothing sounds blissful, well deserved, and, perhaps, exactly what our body and our soul needs to recuperate from all of our hard work.

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth