June 2, 2021

What is wellness? Che cosa e benessere?

There was a time (not too, too long ago) when #wellness to me meant green juice and abs and always getting enough sleep. It meant a life of asceticism and sobriety and trying to be ‘good’ and not succumbing to life’s multitude of delicious pleasures. I often ’failed’ at being ‘well’ but it was the North Star and I thought I might eventually arrive. Someday.

Come to find out, I was arriving all along. And? The definition of wellness for me these days is pretty different than the one I mentioned before. Back then, when I met people who I thought embodied ‘being well’, I would put them on a pedestal and wonder if I’d ever step onto that platform.

In that previous definition, wellness wasn’t my goal, perfection was. In hindsight, I see the silliness of it all (y’know, like most things).

And guess what? I don’t have all the answers now either. Honestly, I still find it surprising (and humbling) that I’m in the business of wellness. But I do feel like I know more than I knew before, and so these days I recognize: perfection is a myth and wellness is simply feeling well. Like, holistically well. And feeling whole and well and good is the actual North Star and however you arrive there is the magic. And it can change. And even when you think you feel more well than ever, you have off days. Or off weeks. Or off months. And that’s okay too.

So here I am, in wellness mode. Photo credit + styling goes to @liviahengel. Tuscan villa is courtesy of @essenza_escapes. The beautiful clothes are @julesnaturelove. And me?Well my goodness I guess I have my moments of embodying classical ‘wellness’ and then my moments of indulging and overindulging and I’m coming to accept that all the moments are just grand.