This morning I woke up thinking of Gloria, Eva’s elementary teacher.
She used to take a few hours every week to “practice feelings”.
She would vividly describe different scenes to the children and ask them to imagine being there.
Then, they would write down few words on how they felt.
At the end of this series, children would choose their favorite scene.
In fact, they were identifying their “comfort feeling”.

I learned then that for Eva, COMPASSION is just another name for love; for others, it is a p.c. word for contempt.

Some feel constrained by rules and group ethics. Giotto instead enjoys the sense of BELONGING that comes from that.
He does well in teams.

Marco au contraire, thrives when enjoying his FREEDOM: freedom from want.
Since the COVID19, he is working on expanding that freedom: building a raised veggie bed, designing a chicken coo, baking bread for the family and making EVERYTHING from scratch. He is making sure he and his family will need very little to stay well fed and happy.

Naturally, these feelings are truly ours only when we enjoy the full round trip:
Belonging comes back as inclusion;
Compassion gives back more compassion;
Being free also means supporting the freedom of loved ones.

Compliments of this present predicament of isolation and uncertain future, here is another great opportunity to explore and expand our favorite feelings, and stretch them to see how far they can take us.

I, myself, whenever I receive more than I give or more than I deserve – which is about 90% of the time – I fight off the temptation of feeling guilty with an armor of GRATITUDE.

So many incredible people who came on the tour in the past years, from everywhere on the planet, are writing to check if we are ok, and ask how they can help. People who live in countries that too are being hit by the virus, and yet… they find the time and place in their heart for us.
Well, I will not deny myself the pleasure of feeling enormously grateful.
Guilt will have to wait for a more suitable opportunity.

I wonder how many other “hygge” feelings there are out there. I can only think of these four.

TRIBUTES TO OUR FAMILY FEELINGS:

– “Adopt a parasite”.
When I found lice on Eva’s head as a child, she made me promise to remove them without killing them, then set them free in a reserve.

– “Wings of freedom!”
Marco’s first present to me when we got together was a paraglider, complete with full course. So while he was still making a living by sailing professionally, I was having a ball riding the wind.

– “When the going gets tough”.
Small village in the mountains, ATM out of order.
12 of us in the house. Panic: no cash for food shopping!
(Giotto was then 8, the youngest).
He raids the house bookshelves, takes all the thrillers.
Then sets up a little stand on the main drag.
Less than one hour later he comes back and hands me 23€. “I sold out. “