Within a few days of knowing Ivo, I began to realize what it really meant to live. Really living, it turns out, entails a lot more than kicking back and enjoying life. No, Ivo’s eyes and countenance painted a different picture than conventional media portrays in describing the island paradise, Sardinia. Granted, at a first glance, one might be tempted to think Sardinians live longer and happier simply thanks to the beautiful Mediterranean island they call home. (Fastame, 2022). But looks can be deceiving; the sweeping hills, lined with stone walls and crested by golden stalks of wheat, were not always such an endearing sight.