Hello all.

Long time no see. Again, break.

So many things have happened since the last time I wrote to you people. Last time we were talking about what this blog means to me, why I don’t post as often as other bloggers do and all that.

The thing is, last time I wrote to you we were living in a different world.

Now, this world, sure, is a little scary, but it has also forced the majority of you to slow down. And how does it feel? I’d like to know how you are living this situation.

Quite frankly, being my motto of life adagio and slow living, most of the time I’m living this situation fairly well. I am lucky enough to have a roof over my head, food in my fridge, I live with a kind, loving man that bakes fresh bread every day, out of my office/bedroom window I see trees and sometimes northern lights. I mean, who am I to complain?

The times I am not living this situation fairly well are the times when I start thinking about my friends and family far away. 90% of them live in North Italy. Some have already gotten sick, my best friend’s grandma has died. Then I think about my family in Portugal, all part of the risk group, and me, literally on the other side of the continent without being able to help them. So there’s the reason for my sleepless nights.

Adagio quarantine - thoughts on how to live positively the isolation imposed by the coronavirus on The Adagio Blog

My automatic reaction when things are not okay is shutting things down. And somehow I didn’t feel like sharing recipes or other ”frivolous” stuff on the blog pretending everything’s fine. But at the same time I gotta make a living and this is my number 1 stage for brands to see what I can do and possibly hire me, so here I am. And then I also thought that Klaus’ bread makes my day every day and maybe it can make yours too, since it’s apparently effortless to make. More on that in the next few days.

Last summer the part of my family that lives in Portugal came to visit us and I had posted a few pictures of that happy time in my personal Instagram account with this caption: “Just a friendly reminder to all who have family living close by them: take time to appreciate what a wonderful gift you have and spend time together.”

Yes, I am used to this. In Portuguese, there’s a word to describe this things you’re all feeling right now: saudade.

saudade
/saʊˈdɑːdə/
noun

A feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia that is supposedly characteristic of the Portuguese or Brazilian temperament. It describes a deep emotional state; a yearning for a happiness that has passed, or perhaps never even existed. It carries with it a touch of melancholy, yet in that wistfulness there is love as well. One thing is certain: the object or person of that saudade does not inhabit the present space or time.*

* Perfect explanation of the word by Celinne Da Costa

”Why are you pulling out this Portuguese word?”, you might ask. Well, one reason is that I am half Brazilian and I have felt saudade since I was a kid. It’s normal to feel saudade, especially now. After all, it’s a small side effect for everything’s that’s been going on, all things considered. 

What I was pondering today was, use your time wisely. I know most of you just wish all this would be over. I know you’d like to go and see your loved ones, go on a trip, go to a concert, just go somewhere… But, I hate to break it to you, no matter how hard you wish it for, we have a very little say in this. Sure, we can all do our part, but besides that, this thing is out of our hands. So, embrace this forced slow living and make the most out of it. REST. Bake bread but leave some yeast to the supermarket shelf for others. Take deep breaths, look out of your window, call your sister or give a hug to your kid. Count your blessings. And yes, have saudade sometimes, but also be grateful for what you have. 

Adagio quarantine - thoughts on how to live positively the isolation imposed by the coronavirus on The Adagio Blog

How are you doing and how’s the situation in your part of the world? How are you using your quarantine time? I’d love to hear from you; drop me a comment!

Thais FK

Italian photographer, recipe developer and content creator, Thais came to Finland by chance, but stayed for love. Through photography she tells stories about traveling, eating, cooking and living sustainably, in order to discover new cultures and not to forget her origins. Thais FK's portfolio: thaisfk.com

January 31, 2020
April 20, 2020

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10 Comments

  1. Reply

    Lina

    April 12, 2020

    Beautifully written! Thank you for sharing this lovely word!

    • Reply

      Thais FK

      April 12, 2020

      Thank you, Lina! Hope you’re safe and well.

  2. Reply

    Luisz

    April 13, 2020

    Ciao cara, condivido in pieno quello che hai scritto. Ogni giorno penso a come sono, per ora, privilegiata nel poter vivere questa quarantena senza gravi problemi di salute. Per me è stato davvero utile fermarmi e poter vivere a ritmi più lenti, correvo troppo e questo non mi dava il tempo di riflettere abbastanza sulle cose belle che ho e che ho avuto, mentre ora lo faccio di più. Ho sempre pensato che in ogni circostanza bisogna guardare a quello di buono si ha e si può fare. Credo che arriverà un momento futuro in cui ripensando ad oggi ci renderemo conto che anche questo momento difficile ci ha lasciato qualcosa di buono di cui far tesoro per cui ogni giorno penso a tutte le cose belle che in quel giorno ho avuto e cerco di mostrarmi grata per questo.

    • Reply

      Thais FK

      April 20, 2020

      Ti ringrazio infinitamente di aver espresso il tuo pensiero e dell’aver raccontato di come stai vivendo questa quarantena! Anche io sono convinta che il vedere il bicchiere mezzo pieno sia fondamentale per uscire da questa situazione con la forza per poter andare avanti. Spero che tu e i tuoi cari siate al sicuro e stiate bene.

  3. Reply

    Anan Simonini

    April 14, 2020

    Ciao Thais, grazie per le tue parole che mi hanno scaldato il cuore. Condivido con te la preoccupazione per i parenti e gli amici lontani, l’incertezza del presente e del futuro, la malinconia, la l’abbattimento…ma poi guardo fuori e vedo il cielo, il bosco, le gattine mi giro e vedo miei oggetti quotidiani, il pane fatto in casa, il sorriso di Michele e provo un po’ di speranza in più. Grazie per il tuo blog con cui comunichi i tuoi sentimenti e le tue passioni: siamo lontane , ma io ti sento davvero vicina. Un abbraccio Anna

    • Reply

      Thais FK

      April 18, 2020

      Grazie Anna di questo tuo commento. L’ho apprezzato davvero tanto. Se continuiamo a concentrarci sul bicchiere mezzo pieno, allora penso che riusciremo ad uscire da questa situazione con la forza di ricominciare perché non ci saremo abbattutti. Spero davvero che tu e i tuoi cari stiate bene e mi fa davvero piacere che dopo tanti anni siamo ancora in contatto. Mi ricordo quando mi raccontasti del tuo viaggio in Finlandia e posso davvero confermarti che la mia esperienza con questo paese è stata e continua ad essere molto simile alla tua. Di pace e serenità. Un abbraccio <3

  4. Reply

    Anan Simonini

    April 14, 2020

    Ciao Thais, grazie per le tue parole che mi hanno scaldato il cuore. Condivido con te la preoccupazione per i parenti e gli amici lontani, l’incertezza del presente e del futuro, la malinconia, la l’abbattimento…ma poi guardo fuori e vedo il cielo, il bosco, le gattine mi giro e vedo miei oggetti quotidiani, il pane fatto in casa, il sorriso di Michele e provo un po’ di speranza in più. Grazie per il tuo blog con cui comunichi i tuoi sentimenti e le tue passioni: siamo lontane , ma io ti sento davvero vicina. Un abbraccio Anna

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