travel talk

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance.  Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

Last week I was in Italy.  It was extraordinary.  To say it was like being in a movie would be some kind of cliche, for sure-- but hey, there were a lot of moments in each of every day that felt like I was in a movie-- so there you go.

There were also moments when I felt totally off my game.  The food is different, the pace is different and oh yeah-- the language is different.  My wee brain was running around on toddler legs trying to take it all in.

At one point Jen sent me an email with the quote I share above.  It felt perfect in that moment.  Perfetto. 

And I thought of all of you as you make plans to head to squam-- whatever session you may be attending-- and how fabulous it is to change up the scenery, to connect with people you never get to see otherwise, to step out of our day-to-day lives.

And yet, it is also a lot to process, to integrate back into our lives.

Right now, it's pretty clear I can no longer put off some key initiatives such as groceries (seeing as coffee and toilet paper have made it up to the top of that particular list) and yet, I want so much to luxuriate in the memories of that magical adventure. 

I want to hold the slower rhythms of that part of the world, the air and smells of that land-- and swim in a bit of reverie.

Alas-- that is also a truth of travel-- there is only the one moment.  So soak it in, breathe as deeply into it as possible-- because it is indeed, fleeting.

bisous, e