38. The Greatest Sentence Ever Written In The English Language
Happy Sunday friends,
Good morning from me and a baby humpback whale.
Here’s a book I’m loving, an Italian movie I was wrong about, some art and a website to help you navigate 2021 calmly.
1. The Life Ahead (La vita davanti a sé)
If you know me irl, you’ll know that I have some deeply conflicting feelings when it comes to Italy.
Sure, I LOVE gelato, vespas’, Lake Como (who doesn’t?!) and of course, there is no language more beautiful than Italian <imho>.
BUT their appalling treatment of refugees does not sit well with me at all. I like my cacio e pepe without a side of rampant racism, thank you very much.
So in all honesty, I was not expecting to enjoy this movie.
But man, was I wrong. I really, really loved it.
It helps that the soundtrack is sung by my favourite female Italian singer — Laura Pausini.
Have a listen. Italian, both sung and spoken, is so incredibly beautiful.
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“When you feel like this whole world's against you
I'm here, I'm here
You'll always have someone who will protect you
Right here, right here
And when you feel like you're invisible
I'll see you through it all I want you to know
That you're seen.”
2. Reading
“To hold your breath is to lose your breath.”
I’m absolutely loving this book. The only moment we can depend on is the present: that which we know and sense right now. The past is gone. The future, to which we devote so much of our brainpower, is an unstable element, entirely unknowable. When we endlessly ruminate over distant times, we miss extraordinary things in the present moment.
“Life is, by nature, uncontrollable. We should stop trying to finalise our comfort and security somehow, and instead find a radical acceptance of the endless, unpredictable change that is the very essence of this life. Our suffering comes from the fight we put up against this fundamental truth: Running away from fear is fear, fighting pain is pain, trying to be brave is being scared. If the mind is in pain, the mind is in pain. The thinker has no other form than his thought. There is no escape.”
3. Accidental Art
Stefan Draschan captures museum visitors who accidentally match the artwork.
4. And Breathe
Tune into forests from around the world.
5. A Quote
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
— Dolly Parton