Some of the most lasting lessons aren’t taught directly. They’re absorbed slowly, through moments that feel ordinary at the time.
One of mine came from my Nonna, at the table.
The Table
From childhood through adulthood, some of my fondest memories are of sitting with her, sharing a meal she’d prepared with love. Italian food, cooked by practiced hands. Plates passed gently across the table. Time allowed to stretch.
We ate together, unhurried and present.
The Gesture
When the meal was finished, she didn’t rush to clear the table. She would take a moment to clear our plates, then sit back down — letting the meal end properly. There was no scramble to move on, no sense of urgency to tidy away the evidence of what had just taken place.
That pause became part of the nourishment.
A small, quiet moment to digest, to wipe our mouths, to feel grateful. Not hurried. Not chaotic. Just a gentle closing of something that had been shared.
The Lesson
It taught me that the clean-up doesn’t need to be rushed simply because there is mess. That the way we close a moment at the table matters just as much as how we begin it.
Slow living matters — especially in the smallest moments.
Today, it’s easy for modern clean-up habits to pull us out of that rhythm. Without another thought, it’s rip, wipe, toss, repeat — and the meal ends in a flurry of movement, focused on containing the mess rather than honouring the moment that created it.
Presence gives way to efficiency.
Carrying It Forward
Now, as a parent, I often think of Nonna at my own table. Meals with little ones are full of spills, sticky fingers, and laughter. They are messy by nature — and also deeply joyful.
When I rush through them, I miss what matters. When I slow down, I notice it.
Today, when I prepare a cloth to gently clean my children’s fingers and cheeks, I carry her lesson forward. It’s a small act, but it’s intentional. A way of allowing nourishment, mess, and joy to linger just a little longer — instead of rushing to erase the signs that we were fully there.
Panni Bimbi was born from that same spirit: meeting everyday mess with softness and presence, and making space for calm at the table — even at the very end.
With love,
Emma
Founder of Panni Bimbi
