4 Things That Have Made Me Happy Lately

I can't be sure, but I think we have finally turned a corner with the weather and we are getting to summer.

I needed this so bad. We all needed this so bad.

This winter was long and to be frank, this spring sucked. Every year it feels like winter will never end and we get a few nice days and then it cools down to rain again. We blink and then we get to June and it's 25 and sunny. The seasons are changing and so is the world.

It's hard to stay positive these days with the news and the urge to sometimes scream when things are getting tough. You think to yourself, will anything go right?

I can admit, I am a pessimist. I am hard to convince and naturally dwell on the extra work that I foresee will come with changes. This year, I told myself to be nicer to people and myself. We all work really hard and could afford to give ourselves a break.

So here are 4 things that have are currently making me very happy and are making me feel better about the world.

Growing New Things

I am very fortunate to have a garden. Growing food is really a labour of love. 3 months to get 4 tomatoes is a tough pill to swallow. I think growing food is probably one of the most primitive actions we still have as humans in this progressing world.

This year I purchased 2 artichoke plants at the local market to try to grow this summer. Growing up part Italian we worship this vegetable, but I have never thought of growing it. So this summer I will try something new and maybe I will get a baby artichoke from it. It could also be a total fail and grow nothing, but here's to trying something new!

Putting Effort into Something You Have Already Created

When we first moved back to Toronto from BC in 2022, I was gifted some plants for our neglected garden to start again. The plants were mainly hostas and flowers that would grow back on their own every year.

The back yard was a disaster for a couple years, but slowly I have tried my best to weed and move and tame what I have been given to create a backyard garden. Each year the plants I was given have grown and now they come back every year and blossom in different ways from the year before. Watching plants do there own work is so crazy and it makes you appreciate life so much.

Baking More

It started a few months ago with a sourdough starter I was given. Now each week I bake a loaf of bread and try to get it down to the best possible way I know how. The goal is to make a great loaf of naturally fermented bread. I think I succeed at this goal sometimes and other times, I feel like i haven't figured it out at all. I have learned so much about time, temperature and feel and for a chef that is everything.

Today I made my weekly loaf and some perfect banana muffins with 2 very sad bananas.

I have also begun experimenting with new flours and sweeteners since I am supposed to cut down my gluten and sugar intake to help my health. Trying new recipes can be a fail sometimes but little by little you figure things out and adapt the recipe with the new ingredients.

Networking with Other Industry Professionals to Learn

Last night I was invited to a wine dinner to promote the wines of Crete in Greece. What a learning experience that was and what a pleasure it was to sit at a table with other people who are so interested in wine and food.

I haven't gone to one of these events in so long and I used to hate them when I did. I thought people were snobby and unapproachable. Now after being out of that world for a while, it's nice to see how people have changed and become more open minded to different options and are more willing to listen to each other's opinions.

*Go check out the LCBO on the Danforth for some great wines from Greece

To end this post for today, I wanted to say that doing things to make you happy are important and it is important to prioritize them, however you can.

Maybe you have also found that doing things to make you happy has helped you cope with the world of late. I think it has helped me a little bit.