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.
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.