Home Again
By BetsyG
I apologize for my long absence, but for some reason announcing that I would be away for 10 days didn’t seem to be the thing to do on the Internet. I have been in Italy—in Florence and Venice—and returned Monday. Yesterday was spent getting my bearings again. Not quite there, but almost.
So it’s happened: I missed a Monday post. Oh well. Perhaps if I hadn’t had to finish my taxes on April 15, I could have gotten a second advance column done, but something had to give. I don’t think I stopped moving that whole last week I was home. Absolute mania. Funny thing: when I sat down on my work chaise today, I saw the two important pieces of mail I prepared before I went that never went out. Oops.
I had a wonderful time on the trip. My travel companion was an old friend who I had not seen since we were 12 and had not had any contact with for over 30 years prior to our reconnection about six months ago. As risky a venture as that may seem, we got along very well, both as travel companions and as friends. I think our former friendship—as close as it was at the time—was so long ago and in such a specific context (summer camp during our most formative years) that this new connection didn’t bear much resemblance to the old one. We didn’t pick up where we left off; instead, I think we always liked each other’s basic essence, and so it worked.
This is really quite different from reconnections with people from elementary school and junior high who I spent so much time with, year after year. As much as those people may have changed, and as long as it’s been since we’ve seen each other, the history is so extensive, I will always know them in the same way.
More on Italy in the future. I am quite in love with Venice, and pledge to a) return soon and b) learn Italian. I am anxious to continue exploring this country.
And on that note, I think I will stick the Rosetta Stone CD in the drive and get going on that. I want to dedicate a certain amount of time each day to learning Italian and a certain amount each day to fitness, including a bit more work on the muscles. If I can keep waking up at 6:30 a.m., that might help. A little jet lag might be a good thing.
