Concerning Necessities

Central Massachusetts

My husband and I sat in a small apartment in Florence. Across from us sat Luca, from whom we were renting the apartment for the week. Together, we followed his fingers across a map of the city as he showed us where to go and what to do.

The apartment was fully furnished and, according to our new Italian friend, stocked with all the necessities. Once alone, Darren and I surveyed the kitchen cabinets to see if we should pick anything up while we were out. The kitchen was indeed stocked with all the Italian necessities — espresso, moka pot, olive oil, salt & pepper; we laughed. How very different we Americans are in our idea of necessities.

I confess though, the Italians are on to something. I bought a moka pot after that trip and still use it nearly every day to brew espresso for my morning coffee. And I’ve learned that the proper foundation of almost any meal comes back to good olive oil and freshly ground salt and pepper — necessities indeed.

As the world turns on its head amid COVID-19, we are collectively learning what’s essential. What do we need to keep the fridge and pantry stocked? What merits a trip to the store? And what can we live without (though we might not have believed so before)?

As I spend these long days of quarantine at home with my littles, we’re learning together how to transform these essentials into the magical stuff of life. With just flour, eggs, and water — we make pasta. Add salt and yeast and you have bread. Stir in a cup of sugar and you have delectable treats.

The smell of yeasty dough rising, the taste of fresh pasta melting in my mouth — all of it carries my heart back to Italy. And I’m reminded again of what’s truly essential.

We can learn a lot from Italy about what really matters. The love of family. Taking time to really be with people — be it at a café, around the table sharing a long, slow meal, or walking with your neighbors for la passeggiata (a leisurely evening stroll). Italians know how to be together, how to slow down, and how to truly soak up la dolce vita. All things we westerners seem to be struggling with right now.

Obviously during social distancing, we can’t exactly gather extended family around the table, meet friends at a café, or go for a walk with neighbors. But we can use this time to draw a little closer to the people in our own homes.

I’m as ready as anyone to get out of the house, TRUST ME. But I know too that this time has a lot to teach me. After all, I was never the bread-baking, pasta-making type until I was locked at home indefinitely. I’m learning to slow down, to be present, to stop scrolling and distracting, and to simply be with the people within these walls.

And I hope when this is all over, that I’ll remember what truly matters — what’s essential. I hope my family continues to linger a little longer at the table, I hope we savor the foods we learned to make. I hope I listen better when I meet a friend for coffee and walk a little slower, just for pleasure, when I’m free to move about.

And I hope I make it back to Italy, where all these lessons first traced themselves upon my heart.

La famiglia è la patria del cuore

The family is the home of the heart.