Hi ! So happy you are here!
So, this all starts with family.
My father could sit down at a food-filled table with four perfect strangers and a glass of wine, and by the end of the evening every person around that table would feel known. Heard. Connected. Family was his heart. My mom was the quintessential homemaker . Quietly, she made all the magic happen. In the kitchen. The same kitchen I learned how to cook in. And while some kids were off playing sports or out at parties , I’d sit there listening to the grown-ups talk over Mediterranean food and drink.
I’d watch how people felt safe letting my father into their inner worlds. It was like his superpower.
I too love listening, learning and finding a common thread. I love listening to peoples stories.
That is also the kitchen where I became a dieter. I bought into diet culture because I I always had this goal weight that I assumed would change my life . I’d get on the scale ( cause back then health and weight was ONLY about the scale. and would hold my breath as I watched the needle move, calculating in my mind how many pounds away I was from happiness.
I don’t know what I expected to happen at that magic number. If I had been less delusional I might have acknowledged that the few times I did manage to reach my goal ( through very unhealthy restriction, fad