Embracing My Journey ~ Living with passion & purpose!

Welcome to the next interview in the  “Living the Life of My Dreams” series. This series is designed to introduce you to some absolutely amazing individuals who, like myself, have stepped outside of the box, ignored those who said it couldn’t be done and today are living the life of their dreams. Each of us has only one life to live and sometimes we just need that gentle reminder that YOUR life is what YOU make of it…

My wish for each of you is that by reading these interviews, meeting these individuals and hearing their stories, you too will be inspired to move forward into living the life of YOUR dreams!

So pour yourself a cool drink, sit back in your comfortable chair and meet Michele Carbone ~ author of “Friday Evening: Creating La Dolce Vita, one bite at a time.”

Living the life of one’s dreams is something many people believe to be a myth….yet; you are living proof that one can achieve this goal…Tell us about the path you traveled to arrive where you are today: I have always loved to eat. As a teenager, my mother returned to work, and she asked me to help with meal preparations. Slowly at first, “The roast is all ready to go into the oven at 4:00”. Then it was, “I didn’t finish prepping the roast…” followed by “Make the roast…” From these experiences, I moved into the mode of experimenting with seasonings, and “What can we do with this to make it taste better.” As I grew older, I learned about fine dining. We had a once a month Tuesday dining group at my work. We began picking more and more expensive dinners until one day someone said “Hey my dinner just cost me $50.”  I began to realize that I was going to have to learn how to cook well if I wanted to eat well, too.

A marriage, two children, and one child’s brain injury later, I found myself no longer working in the defense industry. I found myself at home, working as a full-time caregiver, with nothing but the TV and my kitchen to amuse me in between all of the therapies and traumas that had entered our lives. Luckily, the Food TV Network had been invented. In many respects, it saved my life.

As I approached a big birthday, I was examining my self-worth. I couldn’t return to my work. I couldn’t make a living in the food industry, but what I realized was that I did Friday Evening really well.  I decided to write a book to share just that; hence, Friday Evening: Creating La Dolce Vita, one bite at a time.

What kept you moving forward on the days things were not going exactly the way you were hoping they would? I realized that the terrible trauma that happened to my daughter happened to her, not me. My role was to be her mother as she went through this life path. Not as easy role either, but my role, nonetheless. “When going through fire, you either get cremated, or you emerge as a diamond.” I decided that I didn’t want to get cremated. I had to become the diamond. It’s my mantra, I guess. I remind myself to act like a “diamond” when things get tough.

What piece of advice would you give to someone who has decided they would like to live in a world of their own creation? Create La Dolce Vita in your own daily life. Embrace happiness. Recognize that your reality is your reality. Love it, now, not what you think you need, next.

What special things do you do for yourself daily to maintain your momentum and energy levels? I hill climb with an inspirational group of women and our dogs every day. I continue to learn the Italian language and try to bring my understanding of the simplicity of their lives into my own. I focus on the acquisition, preparation, and shared enjoyment of delicious, simply prepared seasonal foods. Everything else becomes a distraction that I try to avoid.

If you could spend 3 days on a deserted island with two people of your choosing, who would they be and why? My husband and older daughter – My younger daughter would have to be swimming just off the island. We all work very hard, and I can think of nothing better for us to relax and spend time together. There would have to be fire and cooking of course!

What is your favorite audio material and what do you enjoy most about this material? Eros Ramazotti and Andrea Bocelli singing “Musica E” – Their duet about the importance of music in our lives touches my soul. Sometimes I listen to it multiple times in a row, at very loud volume.

What is your favorite reading material and what gives it that special place in your heart? Friday Evening: Creating La Dolce Vita, one bite at a time, of course! The stories are from my life and each one has a special place in my heart. I hope others will be inspired and begin finding happiness in a similar fashion in their own lives.

Who has inspired you and what is it about them that you found inspirational? Bono – He chose to do more with his life than live the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle of a rock star. He created a path for others to follow. He recognized that her had the ear of millions of people and chose to say something important.

What do you see in your future?  I plan to publish a second book, Saturday Evening, about effortless dining for 10 -20 people, and with more inspirational stories and philosophies of life.

Where is your favorite place in the world to spend time, what is special to you about this location? My dining room on a Friday evening – because the day leading up to this point in time is filled with wonderful food moments, and the rest of the evening at the table will be shared with people I love who are enjoying fine food and spirited conversation. Happiness exists…

Who has been your greatest support system and how have they shown you their support? My husband who partnered with me to create Friday Evening, and who tirelessly helps me with the finances of this new adventure.

What / who are you most thankful for and why? I am thankful for my older daughter who put me onto this path, and my younger daughter, who travels with us, particularly in the kitchen where our best adventures seem to unfold.

What is your favorite way to contribute or give back?  I enjoy speaking about the concepts of living La Dolce Vita and demonstrating the techniques of creating the meals in Friday Evening. I have donated Italian dinners to various local charities. It makes me very happy when someone tells me that they found themselves enjoying an exquisite meal with their own families on a Friday evening, and that they thought of us.

Please share the top three things you feel people would benefit from doing if they truly desire to create the life of their dreams?

1. Mind.
2. Body.
3. Spirit.
When you create the life of your dreams, your Dolce Vita, you arrive at a place where you have balanced all three. In effect you have become whole within yourself and as a part of the universe.

Anything I missed that you would like to share?  I guess I like metaphors about precious gems. The world is your oyster, be its pearl.

What products and services do you offer to assist others on their journey?  You can view the delicious photography and read the humorous excerpts and reviews of Friday Evening, and contact me through my website www.fridayeveningthebook.com. Friday Evening can also be purchased there using secure PayPal.

Thank you Michele for sharing your “Living the Life of My Dreams” story with the world!  I encourage everyone to visit Michele’s site and connect with her online!

Be healthy, be focused and be the best you that you can possibly be!

In gratitude,
Caryn

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 20th, 2009 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Caryn's writing, Living the life of my dreams. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.