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Writing in Florence~

1/29/2015

Beautiful snow, beautiful sun, beautiful cold. That’s the outdoor report from here. Indoors I’m all about writing. Ever since I made the reservation to fly to Florence for ten day at the end of February, I’ve been energized to get back to writing “Very Grateful.” Before that I was in a little bit of a funk because I couldn’t get to the cottage, nor could I make other plans to get away. Travelers are not very patient when there is nothing on the calendar. Solitaries feel anxious to get away by themselves.

Where does the writing fit in, you ask? Florence has become one of my best writing venues. I know of four libraries where I can write, plus a café, which gives the added benefit of cappuccino and brioche. I’ll write in the morning and visit my favorite museums and churches in the afternoon. Since I will not be there during the tourist season, entry lines will be non-existent. I will miss eating outside and wandering about in the evening, but I’m open to new rhythms.

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How about snow days without snow?

1/27/2015

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Today is all about snow, 24 inches out there and still coming down. But we have power, food, logs for the woodstove, and books. When plans to help at Rosie’s Place (a woman’s shelter in Boston) were cancelled, all I could think of was how humble and grateful I am to have a cozy home.

On snow days I feel I can just hang out. Today I baked brownies for the guy who plows the driveway; I called some friends to see how they were getting along; I wrote and worked on a jigsaw puzzle; I napped; and I’ve been reading Extraordinary People, a mystery by Peter May. Maybe we need more such days, but of course, without the snow.

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Florence in February~

1/24/2015

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On the Arno last April..

Seems that there is a hopeful chance that the owner of the cottage will be heading to Florida by February 15th, giving me a month and a half of silence, solitude and simplicity by the sea. Having anticipated for two months the start of my time at the cottage, I look forward to savoring each day as a delicious delicacy.

      My favorite candy is Bacio, made in Perugia, Italy. I receive them as gifts from knowing family and friends, and I only eat at one at the end of a meal on those special occasions when I crave for something sweet. We’re onto something when we cherish a favorite food that way. Same thing can be true for special days watching the sunrise.

1/24/15 Good news and bad news, or rather bad news followed by good news. The bad news is that the owner of the cottage that I’ve been renting for the past five winters had a stroke last week and won’t be going to Florida. I feel so bad for him and his wife and am praying for a speedy recovery so he can get back on the tennis court and enjoy all the physical activities that are so important to him.

     The good news is that I am going to Florence for 10 days, leaving February 22nd, returning March 5th. I was able to make good on the airline ticket that I didn’t use in September (well, I had to pay $300), and with the return of the rent money, I’ve come out ahead. My plan is to spend three nights at the Sanctuary B&B, a convent guest house of the Suore Oblate in Florence, and then a week in at a hotel on the Arno. It is time to try something different and hotels are extremely inexpensive at this time of hear. I couldn’t be more excited, the only damper being the cottage owner’s health.

    A great deal of this excitement has to do with my longing for solitude. I haven’t been away by myself since last June, and have been feeling a little bottled up, so I must admit that I sense some relief and release with this change of pace and plan; joy has sprung from deep inside me. I don't mean to be over dramatic, because i was doing fine with what was going on, but....just the same, I missed the rhythm of home, travel, home, or to put it another way, home, alone, home. Need I mention that Florence is my very favorite place in the whole wide world?

     Again, let me reiterate, that I don’t advocate this rhythm for everyone. I write this with the hope that whoever is reading this will discover their own rhythm and determine their path to personal bliss.

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Bacio, my favorite candy~

1/19/2015

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Gems that bind us~

1/16/2015

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I’ve had a chest cold, nothing very bothersome but it’s kept me close to home and in a pattern of activity and rest, activity and rest, which I must admit is to my liking. In summary, a built in excuse not to do anything I don’t want.

Of course, I’d get tired of this if it weren’t for the fact that this slowing down has pushed me into a deeper desire, for and understanding of, solitude. I don’t need to be with friends all the time in order to know that we are there for each other. A occasional email or meeting offers the gems that keep us bound together; details aren’t as necessary now. I think of my mom in her later years. She kept up with friends though a card, a telephone call and perhaps a luncheon date, but she didn’t need the reassurance of continual contact. I just wonder if it was the same for them?

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2015 BMW Convertible: Do I need one?

1/12/2015

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It’s raining out, but never mind, BMW has just come out with a new convertible that they can tailored ‘just for you’—color, interior details, and who knows what else.

   I had a Toyota Celica, a rather sporty car with a sunroof, the last standard shift we ever owned. I never considered my car as part of my identity, but I can’t deny that I loved driving it every day to teach kindergarten. I still love to drive but now it has nothing to do with my car. Good thing, although I’m rather proud of the 2004 Camry, with close to 180,000 miles, that takes me wherever I want to go.

    I understand the desire for just the right car, but really!! Quick glance on the internet tells me that these BMW convertibles get between 20-37 MPG on the highway and go from $37,000 to $117,000. I don’t understand the desire to spend that kind of money on a car.

      Why am I writing about this? Maybe nostalgia for my Celica days; maybe reassurance that I’m on the right track as far as leading the simple life; maybe disgust that such a car exists and that someone at this moment is negotiating for their ‘just for you’ BMW. Probably, all of the above.

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A simple life wherever I am~

1/10/2015

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Here’s the latest on the cottage by the sea. The owner is better but still not certain if he is well enough to risk leaving his doctors and traveling to Florida. If he does head south, it won’t be until February, so the longest I could be there is a month and a half.

Where does silence, solitude and simplicity fit into my life at the moment? Let me start by simply saying that it is fine with me to be home. My life is as simple as I want to make it, wherever I am. At home I cook a little more, my husband and I have meals together and live our lives together, but he gives me all the silence and solitude I want.

Driving to and from the cottage, however, is not simple--planning when to go, dealing with traffic, the expenditure of gas for the car, packing and unpacking. What I do miss are the sunrises, walks on the beach, and consecutive day completely alone without human beings or electronic noises.

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Day by day~

1/7/2015

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View from the cottage, 2012

Here the update on the cottage. The owner is feeling better and hopes to get to Florida by early February. Hope is worth having; it helps us heal. I figure that at its best, the time I can count on at the cottage is from February 15 through March 31st. I will be grateful for that, but I am also grateful to stay home this winter. I will, however, miss those consecutive days of silence and solitude that one can only experience when completely alone.

This wondering, this anticipating, this lack of control on my part has become an on-going spiritual practice. In practical terms I’ve had to give up certainty when looking at my calendar. Beyond that I’m trying to release the idea that all this planning and calendar works really is important. Day by day; Carpe Diem.

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Spot of grace~

1/3/2015

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“Each person is born with an unencumbered spot—free of expectation and regret, free of ambition and embarrassment, free of fear and worry—an umbilical spot of grace where we were each first touched by God. It is this spot of grace that issues peace. Psychologists call this spot the Psyche, theologians call it the Soul Jung calls it the Seat of the Unconscious, Hindu master call it Atman, Buddhists call it Dharma, Rilke calls it Inwardness, Sufis call it Qalb, and Jesus calls it the Center of our Love.

Mark Nepo, “The Book of Awakening,”

I do my best to keep this blog free of specifically religious material, but I figure that if my readers didn’t have any curiosity about the mystery of life, they wouldn’t click on to read what I have to say. I believe that all human beings have deep yearning for the truth and that all religions have their own stories and language that point toward the ineffable. Here’s an comprehensive list for you to ponder as you.

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Listening for silence~

1/1/2015

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On January 1st we think about New Year’s resolutions. Thinking could be a simple as deciding that we’re not going to make any this year—Done! and we can go on with our life. I asked my husband if he had any resolutions this year and he said he’d just be working on the usual, which is pretty much the same for me; eat healthy, exercise, work on relationships, be nice—those things we were suppose to learn in kindergarten. And then there is that special one just for us older folks—get rid of stuff, which is precisely what I’ve resolved to do, again, after I finish ‘Very Grateful’, the book about my mom. Resolved to finish by January 31st.

My big resolution for 2015, however, is to practice living in more silence. Last night, as the TV at my daughter’s brought us the New Year, I was startled, surprised, shocked, alarmed , frightened, amazed, scared, disturbed, disquieted (I couldn’t decide on a single word from my Thesaurus—they all applied), at the screaming that accompanied every, and I mean every, human being performing on CNN. As I went to bed at 9:30, I resolved to be as quiet as I can in everything I think, do and say in 2015. I’m going to do my part help silence be heard.

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