
Thanks to all the fans that submitted questions- you are quite a creative bunch! I wish I had all the answers but some were just too mind-boggling for me (i.e.-“why do meerkats eat their young?”), so I chose the ones that I felt I could answer best!
What is important to you?
Living well- which for me means living with all of my senses- sunshine on my face, delicious smells whether from food or flowers, food and wine that taste so good you could cry, and music and art that move me. And this is why I live in Italy- we have these things in the US but I believe in Italy they are more abundant and more celebrated. Feeling stirred by your senses is part of simple daily life, vs. something you hope to have a few times per year (and probably pay dearly for).
In the Minnesota field, are you sad with the gloom of winter or happy with the sight of rolling acres of pristine snow and cold, clean air?
That is a good question! Sad when its cloudy, full of dead trees and dirty slush, happy when the sunshine sparkles on fresh pristine snow.
In Italy, why is it OK to take your time? Since life is fleeting, don't you need to run just to please yourself?
It’s okay to take your time because simple moments are beautiful, and if you move too fast you’ll miss them. We move too fast in the US because we think that if we rush, we’ll have more time for play, but instead that time just gets filled up with more to-do’s. In Italy, its sometimes not so easy to get things done, so there’s no point in rushing, you might as well enjoy the ride.
What do you like most about Mike? Least?
He is hilarious and very easy to talk to!
And he’s relentless when he wants a response to something. :)
What are under the Norwegian skies?
I am guessing a lot of pale people and pickled fish.
Is love eternal, like fields, hills and sky - or does it fade with time?
I think true love is eternal. It may change form, but the love is always out there.
What did you think of having a song written about you?
I felt flattered, surprised and very humbled. It’s one of those things that someone says they might do but never actually do- but then if you know Mike, he does what he says he’s going to do!
Do you relate to the song?
I liked that the song made me reflect on my life and the adventures I’ve had so far, it gave me good perspective that I have been very lucky to experience so many things in my shoes! It inspires me to keep having new adventures to write about.
Tell us more about you?
What you may not know is that I actually made shoes for several years with Mike’s friend Lauren Carroll, she is the reason I know Mike and she is the reason I made shoes. And I guess in that same way she is the reason I live in Italy- I started coming to Italy to make shoes with her and it snowballed into a long-term love affair with the country. I always wanted to live in Europe but didn’t really expect Italy to be the place- it seemed so difficult and unruly when we were trying to do business here. But I realized that sometimes you have to sacrifice order for creativity. Think about all the places in the world where things are extremely organized- often they are not that interesting. I’ll take soul-stirring beauty over order any day.
If you ruled the world for a day, what would you change?
I rule my own little world and that is enough for me.