july 16 (rhythm realignment / day 11):
one and a half weeks into realigning with my rhythm, getting back on track . . . and things are going well. i’ve been reclaiming my favorite physical, mental, and emotional wellness rituals and routines. last week several self-care practices, this week my share of the necessary household procedures, all of which have been sorely neglected in the past 5 months. i’ll continue to add to my repertoire each week, until i’ve covered all the important areas.
and once everything is reinstated, i’ll also remember to cut myself some slack. to be gentle when my “to do” list doesn’t line up exactly with my “done” list at the end of each day. as i’ve learned time and time again, beating myself up for not being perfect defeats the whole purpose of self-care. there will be those days. days when i’m immersed in a project or simply away from the house for hours. days when i’m sick. days when i’m sad. i’m going to avoid rigidity and welcome flexibility. make adjustments when and where i need to and can.
but so far, it’s been wonderful. i feel as if i have a renewed sense of control and purpose. greater clarity and peace of mind. i am taking back my power.
looking back . . .
april 7 (from my facebook post, lockdown in italy day 29, the beginning of week 5):
a glimpse from eric’s run through the secret garden this morning . . .
well, it seems as if italy has finally reached its peak (though a bit later than projected), leveled out for several days (something i hadn’t really thought about – that you will STAY at the apex for awhile), and has just recently been reporting fewer new cases per day (the curve slowly beginning its descent).
the “newly-infected” ratio (total new cases to total reported cases) is going down. and as of april 4, the number of patients hospitalized in intensive care has declined for the first time since the beginning of the epidemic in italy.
also on april 4, according to worldometer: “the target of bringing down the reproductive number (R0) to 1 has been reached in italy. now the goal is to bring it below 1. earlier in the epidemic, it was as high as 3. this value represents the average number of people to which a single infected person will transmit the virus. an epidemic with a reproductive number below 1 will gradually disappear.”
wow wow wow. way to go, italy! ❤️??❤️
april 8 (from my facebook post, lockdown in italy day 30):
eric had opened the window in the drawing room on monday, to air it out and let fresh air in. when he went to close it that evening, he found this envelope on the villa’s old singer sewing machine. inside were 2 masks, delivered to us by our comune (municipality).
❤️??❤️
