May 2, 2022

Rome + golden hour.
Forever inspired by this

My mama commented that I started appreciating golden hour during the pandemic. She’s right and she’s not, all at once. It was during the pandemic that I slowed down. Yes, redundant. We all did. But it’s over the past years that I’ve stopped taking beauty for granted and started allowing it to take me over. To allow sensory experiences to overwhelm me. To fill me. It was when I finally learned the actual importance of rest, of reset, of doing absolutely nothing. It was when I truly learned il dolce far niente.

But did we collectively learn? Yes, no, maybe. I’ve been noticing this theme. We all crave stillness a little bit more these days, even as the world whirs into motion. I certainly want both.

I don’t think I’m the only one.

A desire to savor.
To soak up all the goodness.

To take a little more time.
To be a little more intentional.
To appreciate.

And it is in this frenetic, beautiful, colliding, chaotic city that I find roots and I find wings.

That I find moments in my apartment alone with sunlight dancing across my legs, rest.

That I find spontaneous moments with great company and good wine on Roman rooftops that last way past golden hour, play.

And also, also, before this becomes too rhapsodize-y and cheesy— please appreciate the bright gold reflection in the bottom right corner, and I hope you find inspiration in little things and I hope you remember to rest and nourish yourself and I hope that whatever joyful habits you picked up over the past two years, I hope you keep them and expand into them, and grow, grow, grow ✨