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Our chef, Konstantinos, moves through the villa kitchen like a benevolent god of olive oil — fast, focused, and full of purpose. His partner, Kristina, works quietly beside him, a calm counterpoint to his energy. She doesn’t need many words; the two communicate in the shorthand of people who’ve cooked side by side for years.
The villa fills with the scent of garlic, peppers, and oregano. The women gather close, curious and delighted. It’s less of a cooking class and more of a flirtation with life itself.
When the platters hit the table, Konstantinos, with a touch of sadness, declares,
“You women — you eat like birds!”
We laugh. He’s not wrong. Our plates hold a little bit of everything, but with the thought of saving room for a dessert. We had trained ourselves not to over-indulge.
I kept thinking about his words.
He didn’t just mean food.
We do eat like birds — not just meals, but moments. We nibble at pleasure, peck at rest, and sample creativity in half-bites, as if we haven’t earned a full serving of joy.
We ration delight like it’s a luxury item, not our birthright.
That’s why I started Traveling Women’s Circle.
To create a space where women can feast — on experience, on beauty, on sisterhood.
To travel without shrinking. To fill up.
Later that evening, Konstantinos appeared again, this time with a tray of warm homemade doughnut balls — loukoumades — dripping with Nutella.
“You must eat all of them this time,” he said sternly, though his eyes were laughing. “This is the amount Kristina and I eat by ourselves. You need to do better!”
We laughed — and we did. Not a doughnut ball left behind.
When was the last time you let yourself enjoy something completely — no guilt, no holding back, no half-portions of joy?
Tell me in the comments — I love hearing your stories.