Anna DeStefano's Blog

I’ve been thinking a lot about the gifts that experience gives us –when we look back from the other side of hard work and FINALLY understand what it’s all been about. Why doesn’t time just man up every now and then, and whisper what we’re about to learn into our ear, so we can relax while it’s happening? I’m guessing because then we wouldn’t “learn nothin’” while life does it’s spinning out of control thing.

Relaxing amidst chaos is one of my “revising” goals for this year.  As you might guess, chilling can be hard for me. When something’s important enough, and the war is difficult enough that I can only see the day-to-day battles rather than the finish line, things can get a little sticky.

Finding the solution to every problem was a given when I was in school. Easing off on the overracting was simpler then.  And all I had to do was study and work hard and trust that I’d get to the core of every challenge. As long as I didn’t get so frustrated that I self-destructed, as long as I was patient, I’d eventually graduate to a new world where I could finally start my life. Wouldn’t it be nice if the battles we fought beyond school were that straight forward?

Well, exactly who said they weren’t? (more…)

If you’re following me on Facebook and Twitter, you’ll see a good bit of food come and go in my updates and tweets. I’m married to an Italian. And while we’re busy as all get out, sitting down to family dinner as many nights a week as possible is our goal. It’s important. It matters. And not just because in traditional Italian households, food is love. But because cooking is a relaxing, creative outlet for us, and so is watching our son fall in love with lots of different foods and a variety of recipes that don’t include chicken nuggets, hot dogs and mac & cheese (staples until just a few years ago). We’re watching him grow into the adult he’s going to be, and I wouldn’t miss that for the world.

Saturdays matter around here, too… (more…)