​Weathering the Storm with the WP#216

I sometimes wonder, without looking at the statistics whether my ramblings are reached by people in my network and beyond. I am writing my next post here, the last day of April, and now only 8 months away from Christmas, 3 months from Rosa’s birthday, a month away from heading off to London, not once but twice in the month of June, also the start of summer. It is also 7 months from the American Thanksgiving if I did my math right. Tomorrow is, 🎉🇮🇹 Labor Day in Italy — Festa dei Lavoratori 🇮🇹🎉here, whereas Labor Day in the United States is celebrated on the first Monday of September each year. In 2025, that will fall on September 1st, so 6 months apart. I simply am reflecting on some of the differences and similarities and how my life has truly changed being here in Italy. Oh, and I can’t forget that it will be in a little over 2 months’ time, that I will have been living here a year. ​

In terms of Federal holidays, in America, there are 11. Of course, there are other holidays, not all federal. Can you name them? Try!!! Here in Italy, in just the past 2 weeks, there was Easter (Pasqua), then there was Pasquetta, the Monday afterwards, then there was just the other day, Liberation Day when the allies and as my wife would say, the partisans, liberated Italy from the Nazis. Of course, credit given where credit is due, and now Labor Day, tomorrow. All days where the world shuts down and there are others and having been here almost 10 months now and these 4 in just a short time, you would think that there were dozens more. My life is not really dictated by the holidays, really as I own a business and my clients are mostly in the new world and as far as the teaching is concerned, I am an independent contractor. I am more impacted in terms of the cancellations of the students, as I am paid by the class, so when they cancel, that changes my schedule, of which I have no control. ​

In actuality, there are only 12 where services are generally limited, including, Capodanno (New Year’s Day), Epifania / La Befana (Epiphany), which is like the end of Christmas, so Christmas is not a single day, the aforementioned Pasqua and Pasquetta, Festa della Liberazione (Liberation Day), and tomorrow, Festa dei Lavoratori (Labor Day). Then there is Festa della Repubblica (Republic Day), Ferragosto (Assumption of Mary), Ognissanti (All Saints’ Day), Immacolata Concezione (Immaculate Conception), Natale (Christmas Day), and finally Santo Stefano (St. Stephen’s Day). There are other holidays, more regional or local, and then there are Sundays in general. ​

Thought there were dozens more, with how many times places are closed due the societal norms. The Italians do live life for sure. Yes, they do work, but life is much more important, so taking time, long lunches, afternoon aperitivos. The opposite is true in America, where work drives everything it seems. I have more and more adopted this Italian mentality or shall I say, accept it more and more. The longer I am here, the more I experience the ebbs and flows of this society and become a part.  Do I miss America, honestly, no. Coming back to the states in the near future. Won’t be happening any time soon, sorry to say. I do think about it sometimes, I would be lying if I didn’t. I have everything here I need, and the needs are less and less now. ​

I do appreciate when a client comes here and does bring an item or two from the new world that perhaps, I can use and asked them as a favor. Not a care package, per se, but an item that I prefer to the possibilities here. Not many, mind you. Thank you for that, as well. On that note, after items from the new world, I thought that, finally, I would have my worldly possessions here on the shores of the old world by this week, as per the last update from the shipping company, a few weeks ago. Well, you guessed it, now it is going to be a couple of more weeks. Who knows!! In fact, as I said before, if I had known then, what I know now, well, I probably would have discarded in some fashion, everything that was left of my worldly possession purge I did to downsize when I moved from Minnesota to New Hampshire, knowing in the end, I would not ship much, if anything across the pond, but that is 20/20 hindsight and does no good to consider. We have all made decisions in our lives and not necessarily regretted them but questioned the reasons why afterwards. I have built my life here and continue to do so and very happy for that. ​

The items, including the car, will arrive here sometime and then the next bureaucratic bit of red tape will come to the forefront. Most importantly, and I have learned this is that there are things we can’t control, and this is definitely one of them. When the items arrive, they arrive. It is a done deal, and I will not lose sleep over it, or let it impede on my marriage and my everyday life. In fact, when I mentioned the email, which was addressed to Rosa and me, she had not seen it yet. When I told her, she was more upset, shall we say, than was I. Maybe I am becoming more Italian and she, American. Besides we have more important things to do, besides our everyday lives. ​

We were supposed to go for a day to Orvieto last Saturday, but it became more a day to just hang in the area. Instead, we went together to the market for our fruits, veggies, some meat from the local butcher and a few other things, had a coffee and dolci at a local restaurant and went plant and flower shopping, to spruce up the house, some more. We don’t have a pet, or kids, we have plants and plenty of them. Yes, that is even a lemon tree, so we try, and some succeed, and some don’t. We also went to a local wine store to purchase our stash of wine, some for us, and some for the clients who will be visiting us here in the Eternal City and that starts next week. We appreciate their business, and we like to share a local bottle of wine from the region. In the end, it was a fun Saturday and more in the Italian way, I suppose. It was strange that Rosa did not have any guiding that day, so it was nice for both of to spend the day together, given how busy our lives have become. ​

For a post that was supposed to be one of little importance, or shall I say, void of possibility, I end it here with my usual thank you for your support amidst the craziness of our life which is home here in Rome. Stay safe in the chaos that is the world, healthy with the ebb and flow of life and most importantly, stay happy. There is not anything so important or dire that won’t pass or be resolved. The simplest things in life are most important and each day, I remind myself of this fact. I wake up each day and thank my lucky stars for what I have as noting is promised to us. Live life to the fullest. 
Oh, and as a last comment, almost forgot, the Conclave to elect a new pope starts on the 7th of May, a week from now, so those wanting to see the Sistine Chapel in the next few weeks, may not be able to. Just a note to the wise, but the museums will be open.