08/01/2026
Selfie with the Olympic flame 🔥
I almost missed it.
The Olympic flame passed through Modena today on its way to Milan. I’d seen the notice, realised it would be carried just 300 metres from our place, checked my calendar and thought, I can make that.
And then… I didn’t put it in my calendar.
I only realised I’d forgotten when friends started posting photos in our local WhatsApp group earlier today. Instant heartbreak. It was 10 minutes before the scheduled ending time, about 3.5 km away, and of course, roads were closed.
Then I paused.
I noticed I was assuming it was too late. That I’d already given up on what I wanted without actually knowing for sure.
The solution was obvious: bike.
It was around zero degrees, so I threw on a beanie, grabbed my husband’s gloves (huge, but warm, mine were nowhere to be found), and pedalled like mad to the finish point.
And… I made it.
Even a little early (this is Italy, after all, not Switzerland 😄), with time to find a good spot for photos.
Lesson: so many things we give up on, we give up on too early … based on assumptions, not reality.
Often, we can still have what we want, if we pause, refocus, and take the obvious action.