#162 Things that inspired, kindled a spark and filled my cup this month

November 2025

Hello Friend,

Well, look at me, I’m finally back typing on my computer again for y’all this month, which is an excellent sign, given my general tiredness and the burnt-out-ness of last month after I coquettishly slinked back into writing this newsletter after a few months of unexplained absence. Well, I already explained why. If you missed it, read last month’s letter here, and you’ll understand, I’m sure.

I can’t say my sluggishness has disappeared, but I have been negotiating by taking small steps toward things that help me feel more inspired. I’ll share a little more further along in this post.

First of all, I’ve been thinking of keeping these monthly catch-ups for myself, with some things that could also be helpful for you all to explore, as free posts forever. So if you want a monthly catch-up coffee with me, be sure to subscribe and let your friends know too. The more you sip some caffeine, the better!

Next year, I’ll reinstate the paid subscriptions; for now, they’re paused because I haven’t been writing any paid content. I’m hoping to get back into the groove and send out some extra material during each month. For now, some tentative drafts include titles like ‘creative coffee time’ (creative writing), ‘everyday Sicily’ (sketches from daily life in Italy) and ‘food for thought’ (personal essays and things on everyone’s mind).

Wish me luck!!

Without any further ado, let me get down to writing my list of things that have inspired, kindled and filled my cup from this past month.

1. Video calls with friends

One of the hardest things about being an expat is the lack of true new friendships in my new home. Despite meeting plenty of people through work, school and the in-laws, I’ve never found my people here in Italy. It’s sad but true: no girl friends for aperitivo time, or for lunch, or even for a sip of coffee. It’s not the case for every expat, but small-town Sicily doesn’t seem to gel with me.

So the last time I was home, I got a flash of inspiration to ask my ladies if they could hop on a video call once a month for a bit of a catch-up. It’s been the best thing ever. There is nothing like a chat with a friend, even if it’s only for five minutes, it puts you in a totally different mood. So if you are feeling down, call your friends. It’ll make you feel instantly better.

2. I like me: John Candy (documentary)

I remember hearing about John Candy’s death in 1994 at the age of 43. I was so sad because I loved the guy’s comedy. I’ve seen everything from Spaceballs to Uncle Buck and Trains, Planes, and Automobiles. So when this documentary came out this year, it automatically went to the top of my to-watch list.

I’m happy that Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds managed to direct and produce such a beautiful documentary that highlights the talent of this immensely creative individual, who accomplished so much in so little time. Who was gone too soon and definitely burnt himself out by overworking.

I like me is a caring portrait of one of the nicest and hardest-working individuals in the entertainment industry, from his friends, family, and colleagues. With personal family history and insights into Candy’s life and works.

Something for the fans who missed him and are just like those grown up17-year-old kids in Australia who are still a little sad that one of their favourites isn’t around any more.

3. Emily Dickinson

I’ve recently been dipping into the poetry of 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson. I never read her until recently, and I’ve made it a new ritual to read a little poetry every morning.

It surprised me that she published so little, yet after looking at her poems, it isn’t all that surprising, as her poetry wouldn’t have fit the literary style of her time.

In fact, her poetry is thoroughly modern, short, titleless, and experimental filled with blank verse and unconventional punctuation.

Yet the inherent wisdom and observation of the natural world from the relatively young Dickinson, who died at 55 and lived in relative obscurity, offers us a religious perspective on death, society, spirituality, and human nature. Her words are filled with meaning, and the imagery is simple yet profound. And it is quite literally food for the soul.

4. E. E Cummings

Yet another American poet, E.E. Cummings, was born in Massachusetts, but his career spanned well into the 20th Century.

While browsing through a bookstore in Australia last year I randomly bought a collection of his selected poetry, which reflects the various styles, topics and stages of his work.

Unlike Dickinson, he studied at Harvard University. He lived a life filled with diverse experiences, including serving in World War I and being detained in a French prisoner-of-war camp.

His work is beautifully rich and fascinating; in fact, his constant evolution in style gives us so much to appreciate.

I am enjoying his poetry dedicated to his idyllic childhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, filled with youthful innocence and idealised perspective. It’s magical how evocative his poetry can be.

His experimental poems, inspired by Cubism and Futurism, are so much fun and incredibly intellectual. I imagine his poetry readings from this period would have been wild and unique, to say the least.

I’m still dipping into the oeuvre of Edward Estlin Cummings as I am rationing his poetry out a little bit each day, to enjoy it over a more extended period of time.

I’m currently savouring his love poetry, which is incredibly beautiful, sensitive and ultimately praising the art of being in love and being loved not as an object or idealised fantasy, but rather about respecting yourself, the other and creating a unity within the body of a living, breathing relationship.

5. Sylvia Plath: The Bell Jar

I picked up this novella by Sylvia Plath last time I was in Australia; it had been accidentally placed amongst her poetic works, so I thought it was poetry. But instead it turned out to be the most exquisitely written novella about depression, mental health, breakdowns, suicide, female expectations, the paradox of the society of the 1950s and 60s, the nature of creativity, depression and artistic endeavour. An absolute surprise, and now one of the best books I have ever read.

6. Shakespeare’s Sonnets

I think it’s always a good idea to read a little Shakespeare every once in a while. A concept that I have neglected in recent years, until now.

I recently purchased a slim edition of the Sonnets, and I think everyone should have a copy with them to leaf through every day.

These short poems, filled with wisdom, remind us of the fleeting nature of life, the importance of love, the passing of time, and how not to waste a moment but to fill every day with whatever it is we love.

Shakespeare’s universal and timeless observations act like the ultimate Momentum Mori for us, reminding us not to waste a moment of our lives and to fill every moment with the love, light, expression and intelligence of love.

Shakespeare has become an exquisitely beautiful part of my daily routine, such an inspiration. Every day I look forward to reading at least a handful, to let the language spill over my mind and delight in understanding Shakespeare’s personal messages to the heart.

7. Never deny yourself mustard

As a mother of a demanding teen and an anxious husband, I often heap too many responsibilities on my shoulders.

Sometimes I need to stop and take a moment to remember that I am not responsible for everything.

It’s something I struggle with, but it’s important to realise you can’t do everything by yourself. It’s ok to delegate and give other people the space to help. This house isn’t just mine; it belongs to the rest of my family as well.

It is also important to remember not to deny yourself mustard if that’s what you like. Let me explain.

I wrote ‘never deny yourself mustard’ in my notebook to remember it’s ok to do things that please you and only you from time to time. As a mother, you might think it’s selfish to think about what you want and like too.

I’m the only person in my family who likes mustard, so often in the past, when I did the grocery shopping, I’d grab the ketchup, tomato sauce, and mayonnaise but forget the mustard. I used to think, Why should I? If I’m the only one who will be using it, isn’t that a waste of money?

But this was very wrong indeed, there is no reason to deny yourself something you like, even a Mum needs her own interests. So now I never deny myself the mustard! If you are in the mothering phase of your life, please never forget to grab whatever it is you like in your grocery cart, or in life in general. It is so important to take care of yourself too. We are important too!

8. Spotify wrapped

This year, I happily paid for a premium Spotify subscription; it’s the best thing ever!

I now listen to all of my audiobooks, podcasts and music on Spotify, which is so convenient.

I’m also an obsessive playlist maker; I will happily create playlists by mood, season, musical style, decade, genre, and purpose. I have lists for my workout, opera quartets, lounge music,80s, Australian music,70s, Folk, songs for ESL students, music from movie soundtracks, 90s, early 2000s, Pub classics, Musicals, Autumn vibes, Sexy Elvis Costello, The best of the Big O, Italian vibes, and so many more.

I love the end-of-year Spotify wrap, where the app gives us a summary of what we listened to.

According to Spotify, I listened to 18,145 minutes (about 12 days) of music across 291 genres this year.

My top genres were: Soft pop, classic rock, folk pop, alternative rock and opera.

My listening age was 67 (since I was into music from the early 70s, that makes me an old soul). This year, I want to listen to more opera and classical music, so I’m hoping to reach at least 100 years old in 2026.

I listened to 1,488 songs

My top 5 artists were Lola Young, Billie Eilish, Zucchero, Mickey Baker and Missy Higgins.

I listened to 421 minutes worth of podcasts.

Heard 10 audiobooks.

Listened to 1,102 different artists, including Antonello Vendetti, Paul Kelly, Rufus Wainwright, Lola Young and Chappell Roan.

Then the fact that I belonged to Club Serotonin confirmed that I am a dedicated playlist creator.

Listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks is my favourite thing to do. Music has healing properties and is an excellent way to tell stories. Podcasts and audiobooks are wonderful conversations with writers and easy ways to learn new things.

If I have one new year’s resolution, it would be to listen to more music of every genre.

9. YouTube channel: My friend Ryan Crouse

I have always been a fan of YouTube as a source of tutorials and entertainment.

During the boom in filmmakers and vloggers of the last decade, I became addicted to the likes of YouTube personalities Casey Neistat, Louis Cole, and Emma Chamberlain.

Many of the founders of personality-based, visual storytelling have moved on to different platforms and projects, so these days I spend less time watching videos on YouTube, which is probably a good thing, too much time online isn’t a good idea.

I allow myself to follow only one old-style personality-based vlogger, who has become one of my favourite things to do.

Ryan Crouse is an American who has been living and studying in Japan over the past few years, documenting his time and experiences as a foreigner in Tokyo.

He is a friendly 20-something vlogger talks to his camera like he’s talking to a friend and takes you along for the ups and downs of his life, first as a student, now as a full-time content creator and international traveller.

Ryan is an honest, kind, fun, likeable, fashionable and very gay man whose personality makes you think of him as your friend.

I am totally addicted to the story of this young man’s life, his journey and evolution as a filmmaker and storyteller.

It’s been great to see his style develop and how he has created a successful life for himself in Japan. I look forward to catching up and seeing Ryan every time he posts and updates the 175,000 other subscribers and me about his life.

10. Megan Burslem and a stunning piece of classical music: Joaquin Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez: II. Adagio

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but I have promised myself that I will listen to more opera and classical music in particular.

I have always loved Italian opera, and I was deeply obsessed with classical music in my 20s, but I have been out of touch with this music for a while, and it’s time to get reacquainted with this fascinating medium.

I enjoy the composers’ history, the context of the stories, and the images the music can paint in our hearts and minds.

Listening to great classical music is like reading a classic: you make a friend who can constantly be revisited throughout the years, offering new insights, perspectives, and experiences. Great works of art, like good friendships, can help us to understand ourselves and the world around us.

This past week, I was on a mission to listen to the Australian ABC Classic FM breakfast program with Megan Burslem on the ABC FM listening App. Which, to my frustration, is actually unavailable in my country (Italy).

So, despite following Megan Burslem on social media for the past year, I haven’t been able to listen to her program regularly.

I have missed ABC Classic FM since moving to Italy, as it was where I learnt about classical music, opera, the art of interviewing, and the world of classical music.

Luckily, I was able to listen directly from the ABC site and was instantly reminded of why I love the ABC so much. The intellectual tone of the program was exactly what I’ve been missing.

The wide variety of music on the breakfast programme alone was an absolute delight. The music ranged from early medieval music, to Mozart, Bach, gospel, contemporary, the romantics, folk, world music, religious, orchestral music, piano, cello sonatas, Berlioz, Rachmaninov, Hydan, Vivaldi played on guitar, Mendelssohn, and so many others. It was a beautifully curated listening experience.

I also managed to listen to one of Megan Burslem’s personal recommendations, a stunning piece of modern music composed in 1939 by the Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo.

The Concierto de Aranjuez: II Adagio is a concerto for classical guitar that was inspired by the gardens at the royal palace of Aranjuez, built by Philip II in the first half of the sixteenth century and rebuilt in the middle of the eighteenth century by Ferdinand VI.

Today, the Palacio Real de Aranjuez in Madrid is a Baroque masterpiece and a UNESCO World Heritage site. And the music from the concerto is just as elegant, evocative and magnificent as this magical place.

The work is Rodrigo’s best-known work, and its popularity helped him establish himself as one of the most significant Spanish composers of the twentieth century. What makes his work even more special is that Rodrigo was completely blind, losing his sight at the age of three after contracting diphtheria. He wrote his compositions in braille and they were transcribed for publication.

Later he was helped by his wife, who was one of his biggest advocates and assisted him in publishing and promoting his works. Rodrigo’s wife Victoria was a pianist and left her career to assist her husband.

Joaquin and Victoria also declared that the concerto was written as a response to the miscarriage of their first child. A stunning fact that adds to the timeless pathos expressed in the music. And gives the work an added emotional depth.

That’s all I have on my mind for now.

Thanks for reading along.

Stay well, be kind to everyone, including yourself, and we’ll speak again soon.

Rochelle

Every once in a while, I talk about Sicily.

Other times, I talk about whatever is on my mind.

My writing is always about lightning, the mental load, and sharing my thoughts and ideas.

I hope you enjoy the randomness of A Load Off My Mind.

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N.B: All images are created via Canva. This post was edited with Grammarly.