Friday Musings—09/05/25

What's new with me

I’m going to Ferrara next week for a company retreat. Everyone, myself included, had to prepare a presentation. It’s been a while since I last gave one, so that’ll be interesting!

Yesterday, I was looking for a walking tour in Ferrara (I usually do one in every city I visit). There weren’t any scheduled for the days I’m available, but I discovered something even better: a local organization run by volunteers who offer to greet new visitors, show them around town, and answer their questions—all free of charge. I sent in a request, and two hours later one of the “greeters” emailed me a warm welcome and offered to arrange a walk and chat. Isn’t that lovely?

A few things that caught my attention this week.

🧘

I’ve mentioned before that I occasionally do yoga therapy sessions with a lovely woman from Canada who’s completing her certification. We met up again a couple of days ago and ended our session with some Yoga Nidra and what she called “the three magic breaths” (it’s actually nine breaths in total!)

• The first three: breathe in, then sigh the air out loudly.
• The next three: breathe in, then exhale through pursed lips.
• The final three: breathe in, then release the air through your teeth with a gentle hissing sound.

Simple, grounding, and oddly satisfying.

🤔

Remember as a kid when you were constantly told that “silence is golden” (or was that just my parents)? While I definitely wish I’d learned to speak up and express myself more growing up, it’s true that these days the prevailing belief seems to be that everyone is entitled to share their opinion on every matter, and that every opinion is worth just as much as that of an expert.

That might be part of the reason social media is filled with angry conversations, misinformation spreads like wildfire, and the art of listening sometimes feels like a thing for losers.

A few days ago, one of my contacts posted that we should “normalize not having an opinion on something you’re not informed on”. What do you think?

🧡

On Tuesday I walked past a small hairdresser’s near my place, and the place just gave off good vibes (I’m becoming a bit woo woo, yes). As it was high time I got a haircut, I decided to walk in and book an appointment. The owner was a smiling man who immediately put me at ease and gave me a head massage while I was explaining what I wanted (the usual boring trim). In the meantime, he introduced me to his other client and to a friend who had dropped in to say hi.

This friend turned out to be a wine merchant who sells "natural wines", which I didn’t even know were a thing but that I definitely want to try now, so I got to learn about that too. All in all, I spent 20 lovely minutes there and left the shop feeling happier than when I had walked in.

The next day I went back for the actual haircut, and as we were chatting, an old man walked in and started talking about the football game from the night before. The owner told me the man lives alone and stops by the shop every morning for a chat and some company—often twice a day.

I’m sharing this because it reminded me that we’re all here to connect, to show up for each other in small ways. There’s a lot of hate and separation in the world. But there are also so many moments like these, where people choose kindness. And that gives me hope.

Quote of the week ✍️ 

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around".  (Leo Buscaglia)

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you have any suggestions or insights, feel free to share them in the comments. And if you know someone who might enjoy my musings, please pass this along, I’d love to grow this community.

Until next time,

ML