As I’ve mentioned before, for me a routine is fundamental to the success of this experiment in living in Florence, even if it’s only for two weeks. I strive for a routine of daily living, with leisure and long and short term purpose, not a fast-paced, tourist itinerary that is part of vacation travel. Of course, a schedule is important for wherever I live. I know I’m on the right track when I feel contentment with what I’m doing at the moment, when I’m not thinking excessively about what I’m going to do next, and when I’m creating meaning as I go along. Meaning, which is essential to a life well lived, appears in the particular work I do, in the experiences I have, and in my general feeling of well-being. Inner contentment; we know when we have it.
Of course routine will vary but this morning it was pretty much as I like it here. At 7 AM I stopped by S. Trinita and enjoyed a half hour of silence before mass began. Then I left and walked along the Arno and over Ponte alla Carraia for my early morning cappuccino. Back to the apartment to check email and then to library to write.
It was cloudy when I first started out, and raining while I was at the library. Now the sun is working it’s way through. I’ve eaten lunch and will go out for a walk, maybe stop at a museum. Such is my day with enough of a routine to feel purposeful. Three more days and then I’ll be home to live a different purposeful routine.
Of course routine will vary but this morning it was pretty much as I like it here. At 7 AM I stopped by S. Trinita and enjoyed a half hour of silence before mass began. Then I left and walked along the Arno and over Ponte alla Carraia for my early morning cappuccino. Back to the apartment to check email and then to library to write.
It was cloudy when I first started out, and raining while I was at the library. Now the sun is working it’s way through. I’ve eaten lunch and will go out for a walk, maybe stop at a museum. Such is my day with enough of a routine to feel purposeful. Three more days and then I’ll be home to live a different purposeful routine.