January 3, 2017
2016 has passed. So many of my friends are looking backward at their highpoints in the year 2016. One year can change a lifetime. It has for me.
My first blog of 2016 was called 2016, A Year of Action. I made plans for my future instead of making resolutions that have never worked for me. I had been watching STAR WARS with my granddaughter as I wrote. There was Yoda with his sage advice.
In case you haven’t noticed, I am inspired by film and music. In this case, it was as though Yoda, my granddaughter, and I made a plan for my entire year.
It is a wonder what you can do with a good plan and the help of Inspiration. Despite all the suffering we have seen throughout the world in this last year, even with all the divisiveness of our election, the plan has worked. I have attained more clients and have discovered wonderful places in Italy that I had never visited before. I am 7 days away from leaving all behind and moving to Italy for at least a year.
Moving to Italy meant divesting myself of so very many things. In the physical realm, I gave all my most cherished antiques to my family members. I sold and donated so much that now, what I own would not even fill ½ of a one car garage. I leave on my adventure with 2 suitcases, a backpack and a purse.
The emotional things were much more challenging to leave behind. I have spent time with friends and family and urged them to visit me. Perhaps they will. Dad is 92 and experiencing dementia. My siblings are from 67 to 53 years old. Most will not visit me in Italy. I will need to return for visits. But, when I return to the states my first choice will be to visit my daughter and granddaughter, my girls. And they are not in Minnesota. They are in Seattle. Those were the huge things and I needed to surrender to the fact that I had no control.
The little things can also be difficult. As a vagabond for the last 3 months, I have missed my privacy. I have missed knowing where I put my keys. I have missed being able to walk into the bathroom with no lights on. I have missed my own internet service. I have missed knowing where the gas station was, the corner grocery store, where to get something repaired, all my old standbys, my old, comfortable places.
Now, I embark on un’aventura dell’anima, an adventure of the soul.
As a traveler, I have been able to live out of a suitcase for weeks at a time. But it isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes finding my way around a new town is a challenge. And just using the postal service in Italy can be difficult. Renting an apartment, paying bills, grocery shopping, going to the doctor, all those things make me anxious. But I am going to do it.
I have a plan for this year, 2017. When I arrive in Rome, my cousin will meet me and she has graciously invited me to stay with her for a week or so. Thank you Sonseere for giving me the soft landing in Italy that you did not have.
When I leave my cousin, I am off to Maremma where I will spend a month with an Italian family and study Italian. It will be total immersion, no English spoken for nearly a month. I hope to hone my Italian language skills.
Next, I will meet my girls for a week at the end of February. We will share time in Italy together. That will be the most difficult goodbye of all.
March 1st, I hope to move into my new apartment in Chiavari, Liguria. I haven’t found it yet but I am working on it. I hope it is within walking distance to the beach and the train station. I need both.
While there, I will be working on my book, continuing to help others to discover the joys of Italy through my business, TAKE ME HOME ITALY, visiting family in Italy and making new friends.
Please send me ideas of new towns and places to visit in Italy and around it. I plan to travel to new places. Give me your suggestions.
Then come along on my journey with me. Thank you for inspiring me every time you read one of my stories. Let’s see what we can discover together in Italy next year.
Ciao for now!
Thank you for following!
Ciao for Now!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form
