This was my final week on the beautiful island of Sardinia, and I had to make the best of the last few days. This week was filled with more hiking, riding the waves on a joker boat, visiting isolated beaches, swimming in the clearest, bluest water I have ever seen, eating and drinking the best food and wine, and reflecting on my time here on the island. Although I had spent over a month in Sardinia, I still felt as though I had much more to experience and more to learn from the people who lived there.
I loved the people, the culture, and the beautiful, but rugged landscape of the island. The Centenarians of the Nuoro region have so much to teach us about how to live healthy, long, and happy lives if we are willing to learn, but we are running out of time. They won’t be with us much longer, and the younger generation is not as interested in their way of life. The world is getting smaller, and technology is changing the way we live and work. There are things we can do to improve our quality of life and our longevity, but in our society, we have different values. I feel as if we, as Americans, are always rushing. We rush to grow up, we rush to get to the weekends, and we rush to retire. We almost wish our lives away trying to get ahead instead of savoring what we have at the moment.
When people ask me what I learned while in Sardinia, I say that I learned that I need to slow down and take life one day at a time. I learned that I shouldn’t worry about things I cannot influence and that hard work should make me feel accomplishment rather than stress. Spending time with family and friends is important, but spending time alone is also necessary. And, laughing every day is nearly as important as eating healthy for longevity. Until next time, my beautiful friend.
Living in the Zone 