​Weathering the Storm with the WP#40

Wow, the 40th edition of Weathering the Storm and it is all about Rosa and I!!! This all started when Covid started and now spending this past week with her has solidified my love for her. We got to know each other apart for 16 months and stayed connected via WhatsApp and learned many things about each other. When I first returned to Europe back in June, a first time across the pond since Covid, the 10 days we spent together was a reunion, a meeting, she likes to say and it was definitely more than business and definitely more than a feeling. She said she did not want to dream, but I knew I would be there. After that experience, I told her I would return before the end of the year and when I decided to go to London for a conference, getting to Rome, was a no brainer.
While she was awaiting my arrival at the airport in June, Italian flag and welcome sign in hand to pick me up, this time, knowing the terrain well after those 10 days, and as she was  guiding the day of my arrival, I made my way to my hotel, the same as last time, Hotel Villa Rosa, I checked in, showered, changed and hit the road to see her and after a few bumps in the road, we met up near the Colosseum and spent the rest of the day together. Our meeting or our reunion or whatever we now call it solidified, if ever there was a doubt, and really, there never was that she was the one. We even spent the evening at a combination Halloween/ Birthday party with her friends and it was a lot of fun, for sure. I knew she had to work the next few days and so we found the time to spend together including an evening at the Hard Rock Café in Rome, where last time, we celebrated her birthday. This time, and even with the pouring rain afterwards, we enjoyed our time. I spent time that day exploring some of the crypts and lots of wall art and got lost a few times, but that is part of travel and some of the best things happen that are not planned.
The highlight for us was traveling together away from Rome for 2 nights and 3 days down to the Amalfi Coast and staying in Sorrento, away from the craziness that is Rome. She and I were together, enjoying the moments that make our relationship special. We tried different restaurants, walked many steps, experienced Herculaneum, Positano and amongst the rainfall, the bus and train rides and laughter and smiles we shared. These few days were magical and we did our first Facebook Live together and in the future, I hope many more and even though we did not get to some of the places we had planned, it did not matter. Other experiences replaced them. She is a natural in front of the camera and I so enjoyed this experience with her.
We were together and we were one. Another chapter in our story, a love story that, while once again, brings physical distance between us, brought us even closer together than we have ever been in these nearly 21 months. She said we need to live in the moment and I do understand, but it does not change the melancholy I feel as we are once again apart from each other. When I wrote the poem in March of 2020, and the lines that became the chorus of the song I wrote for her, yes, Rosa of Roma, saying distance won’t keep us apart, as what we have comes straight from heart, is more powerful than ever. She and I will be together again, this I know, no, we both know this and hopefully, with less time in between when we are together again. Rosa, you have added years to my life in all you have been to me. I am happier than I have ever been in my life. I am excited to walk many more steps with you through this journey called life wherever they may lead!!!

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