Fatti una bella limonata

August 16, 2021

Greetings from Sicilia!

This has been an exceptional holiday for many reasons but my family and I are making the most of it.

One of the things that has been the most challenging is the heat — Sicily recorded Europe's highest historic temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius on our second day here. With heatwaves of course come two very serious impacts — fires and electricity outages.

I recently completed my master's thesis on the transformation of electric utilities in Europe and what steps they can take to better align themselves with the EU's Green Deal. This trip has underscored to me how very important that task is.

Electricity is probably one of the things we most take for granted in developed countries. With electricity comes light, cool air, charged telephones and hot water.

The safe and stable functioning of electric utilities is one of the keys to steady progress, although outside of the developed world, many people don't have this luxury. As for us, thankfully the heat is now subsidiing in Sicily and we are not too far from the sea to cool ourselves off.

One of the things that Sicily is known for is lemons. Another thing that we often take for granted in the developed world — they are certainly not sold in tremendous quantities in Paris or New York.

But lemons are a gift from nature. Even though you can't eat them, they make so many things better!

The key is knowing how to use them. In food, you can use them for sauces, dressings and even to cook raw fish. In the home, you can use them for cleaning and freshening. In drinks, you can add them to cocktails or use them as the base for limoncello. You can also add them to creams and perfumes.

And so goes the saying. Se la vita ti dà limoni, fatti una bella limonata. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Do what you can with what you’ve got. Probably one of the simplest and yet most important lessons we can learn and put into practice.

Nature always has a message for us. Rather than seeking to tame or control it, we should focus on listening.

CPM