I have a secret.
Ever since I read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, featuring the imposing fictional estate Manderley, I have been obsessed with gothic romance novels.
Though Rebecca will always remain my favorite of all time in this genre, I began voraciously devouring these novels when I realized a local secondhand shop had an inviting upstairs corner devoted to them.
processing, processing, processing
my new world.
first. connecting and trusting.
next. staying in the moment.
then. integrating all of the information into my own experience.
finally. creating meaning.
i’m still moving back and forth between numbers one, two, and three.
i’ve been so busy this week with AWARENESS #1,
my very first travel size course,
that when wednesday rolled around I thought
“oh no, i forgot! what will my blog post be about?”
and in the next minute, it was obvious.
Are we really aware of how powerful small gestures of kindness can be?
Yesterday we ran to get a few items at our local grocery store. I kept running into an attractive older woman in a striking leopard-print coat. We would smile at each other and grasp hands, then each go back to our own shopping.
my seventh time, choosing a word to guide the year.
UNTETHERED in 2011.
followed by BOLD and WAVE,
AUDACIOUS and ESPRIT.
2016’s THE ARRIVAL just ended.
i developed and delivered my signature course,
which bears that same name.
and i prepared for my own arrival in italy,
an endeavor which took every last ounce
of my courage and strength to accomplish.
about a month ago i found a poem
that my oldest son wrote many years ago,
after his first week ever away from home.
a poem that described what homesickness feels like.
he expressed the emotion vividly, using all his senses.
out and about for the second day in a row
in the sun-drenched december warmth
of a charming fishing village by the sea.
picturesque and gorgeous,
along the italian riviera.
tellaro, nestled in the gulf of poets.
villages that have been both muse and inspiration
to many throughout the centuries.
“if you can find a way to live in the cracks, you can thrive anywhere.” (james s.a. corey)
just as cracks appear in the ceiling at villa magnolia,
we all have cracks that show up in our lives.
some plainly visible,
some skillfully concealed.
the planning.
the packing.
the goodbyes.
the travel.
the country.
the language.
the bureaucracy.
the unfamiliar.
the shipment.
blocked sinuses.
sore back and stiff knees.
hives, a jammed thumb.
cleaning, scraping, painting.
tired beyond tired.
non-stop. daily.
tension and doubt,
small triumphs mixed between.
what to write, what to write.
i suddenly have so much to write about
that i can’t seem to write at all.
i could tell you about our shipment which, after eight weeks at sea,
finally arrived at villa magnolia this wednesday.
