|
weathering the
|
 Really, what is there to write about this time of year than to truly appreciate what you have in life and as this year comes to its conclusion, and the holiday season is upon us, I really know what is most important, even with all the trials and tribulations of this crazy year. A year in review next week. This past week was fairly tame and decisions on certain things made, including the noted piece about my stuff not being sent across the pond until sometime next year which takes stresses off us right now as we move forward. This past week was as normal as Rosa’s and my life can be. She guided, I taught a few English classes, and we had momma over last night for Christmas Eve dinner and it truly felt warm and at home. I worked on a few travel plans for clients, some last minute, more in the future, so 2025 looks bright on many different levels. And, even though Rosa is guiding right now as I am writing this post and I have worked on a few trips for clients, really, it has been a relatively calm week and realizing that, sorry, knowing that things are slower here, I took advantage of that. Always things to be done around the house, but some things can wait a few days and then, when the holidays are through, get back into full work mode, not my normal way of doing things, but perhaps, the Italian way is having an impact. In the end, when Rosa comes home later, we are going to her sister Manuela’s for Christmas dinner and enjoying the season, perhaps establishing a new tradition, Easter as Pamela’s, Christmas at Manuela’s, and Thanksgiving here. It sounds very nice, actually, as I recall, in my past, near and far, this time of year, not being the best for me, so I will leave you with this thought for the season.  To all our friends, family, colleagues and clients, Merry Christmas, and Happy Hanukkah to all of you, no matter what you celebrate and what traditions you have. Be happy, healthy, and safe this holiday season. We truly appreciate your support and will be celebrating later today with the family, here in Rome!!! Rosa and Jamie -
0 Comments
What do I mean by this. Well, there always seems to be a lull in business this time of year and totally understandable. The busy season of travel has ended, but for me, it does go year-round with clients traveling all over, but the chunk of my business is Europe and that is not the focus this time of year, so it seems slow, and when things are slow, I let my mind wander and that can be an issue, because I do lose my focus. Fortunately, that situation was short lived and while yes, we are coming up on the shortest day of the year, in a few short days, a volume of new business has come across my desk, and not just Europe, but that is the bellwether for me. It is about 80% of my business and not that I did not have trips already on the books for 2025, but additional trips are now in the planning stages. At the same time, where I had two weeks of no English lessons, private or at the school, I went from 0 to 100 km in a week. It did take me a little bit to get on track. I am not a spring chicken, you know, but once the engine was started, there was no stopping. It would be nice to have a slow, steady life. No, not really. That is not me. I thrive in what I call organized chaos and without those challenges, I would be lost. I think this year has been one of organized chaos, but that will be in my year-end review next week. Just know that for me, it is nice to be consistently busy again and even with a holiday break from the school after this week for about two weeks, it is the holiday and this is Rome, as you know, I will be okay.   I know that last week I wrote about our Thanksgiving experience which was very nice and now that the desk from momma arrived, I have an office area of my own, so able to get more done than a kitchen table. It is a beautiful desk and will be very useful moving forward as the business has picked up substantially for 2025, which is nice, and having space to work is very important. I also got back into the routine of teaching as there had been a two-week hiatus, some of my own making and some of the student and school. Again, this is fine as the business, which was slow for a while, is now picking up, so it was nice to have that time to catch up on some of the mundane things like invoicing, which, is the least enjoyable part of what I do, but a necessary function, except for paying taxes, but I do what I must do. As you know, I have been here since July, so now into my 5th month here and seeing the change of seasons, being here most of the summer, now through the fall and coming up on my first winter here in Italy. I am not saying it takes some getting used to, but it does. I think that the hardest part was when the time changed here, which I noted in a previous posting some weeks ago, is a week’s difference and actually before the time change in the U.S. I have always noticed the difference as it got dark so much earlier, but here, because of Rome positioning, it seems extreme. I also know that personally, even though this is the supposed to be the best time of year with the holidays, I have never really been a holiday gathering person. I know this is contrary to having the family over for Thanksgiving. For me, that was different, but the holidays, while important, have never been a strong pull for me.
I guess, the idea of making a profit by year’s end, getting in the black, and not be in the red by year’s end, is everywhere, at least in places where capitalism thrives and who knows, maybe in other places as well. I am also guilty of buying things online at Amazon IT, and in the local stores, as Rosa and I had essentially nothing when we moved into the condo, so we had to, and this is not a commentary on those that go out and spend. It is your money, and you can do with it what you want. Remember, I got rid of 90% of my things before my move here to Europe, really out of practicality and realizing that most of that stuff was never used or had not been seen in years, being stored, so yes, cleaning house was a good thing, but now, in the new place, we had to have things to function. Maybe, I have gone a bit overboard, but having the right tools in the kitchen, at least, for me, is very important. I don’t cook with one fork and one pot.
|
Wandering PuffinWeathering the Storm with the Wandering Puffin Archives
April 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed
