“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”
Matsuo Basho
Ognissanti
I'm not ready for immersion but the feeling of these damp steps beneath me will become a perennial part of my being. I lift heavy hands to mouth thinking only about breaking suddenly into from veganism to vegetarianism. I taste nothing new. The sensation of being relinquished and forgotten here, deep in the fall, will stay with me for years.
Clothed in Arrival
Further down, on the receiving bank of this bridge
when I’m dripping from the humidity of one of your more sultry days,
You’ll brush my skin with a warm current of memory
And my chest will go on pause-
The Long Haul
We had a rough start and after the first year it could have dissolved into history. But I chose Italy again and again. Not because she was beautiful or romantic but because she asked a lot of me. It took a long time, many years, before I trusted that she wanted me. It took time to see that her demands were forcing me to build a framework for a new home.
The Best of Siena is Pretto: Food for a Better World
Inside Pretto, pages of poetic discourse warm the atmosphere of this very unlikely positioned refuge of hospitality. But the power of this ethical and mouthwatering eatery is greater than how well it stands out against its harsh backdrop. Pretto is, in itself, a hub of wellbeing. It was born of a desire to sustain the pure and honest work of local farmers and artisans who, in turn, sustain the integrity of the land out of gratitude for what the land gives.
Traveling Inward
There are physical places that extract my inner juice with little effort. Call them sacred places. And then, there are spaces that challenge me to be present. The challenge to be present is the opportunity we are faced with when we pull away from the world and look inward, leaving only our breath as a guide. I learn as write this how perfect it is that for me, that challenging place is the place where I come from…
Nine
At 9-years-old you are loving yet fierce. You are fun and wild! Your thoughts are deep and complex. You imagine without borders, speak courageously, and ask questions that challenge everyone around you. You are accepting of others and of life. Is this possible at nine? Yes, you are amazing.
Novembering: Clasped hands, love anchors, and the beauty process
This is our life: shortening and widening the physical gaps between our family of four and the people we love at distant points on the map, adding love anchors here and there as we move, settle, depart.
Anniversary Day: Welcome to The Scenery
On the same day, for the past 16 years, I quietly celebrate my anniversary with Italy. This year, I am in Barga for the occasion. Here, from in a little house I am renting with my family, I celebrated by taking in the view.