Last Saturday morning the sky was blue and the air was cool when I left Florence for Paris. I peered out the window of the airplane as it soared above Italy and France. As we hovered the airport, the airplane pierced a thick blanket of clouds, leaving the sun behind. When I arrived at the airport, the skies were grey and the temperatures were low. Even though I left behind my beloved city, I arrived in Paris where my beau greeted me with open arms. Before, I would’ve felt a great sense of loss upon leaving Florence, but now I am able to take my beloved city with me.
Me, My Heart, and I
Duality of emotions
This morning when I woke up, the sky was grey. I felt a strong sense of joy inside of me, but a veil of melancholy was definitely present too. At times, however, I find great comfort in sad songs and grey skies. I like the duality of my emotions. I am fine with feeling love and joy pulsate through me while a sense of sadness washes over me. I know that the sadness is not permanent, but I know that I have to let it run its course and not fight it off.
Habits and my Florentine friends
For the past few days, I’ve been picking back up my daily abitudini (habits) that I have when I’m here in Florence. I go to Vivoli or Giacosa for colazione (breakfast), shop for food in via dei Neri, and visit my friends who work in centro (downtown) when I’m out walking around. One of the nicest feelings is when I’m walking down the street and someone I know calls out to me, “Ciao bella!” I love that in Florence, people I know take notice and have even become closer to me now that they see me less habitually.
Choosing a city to call home
After my brief stay in Florence at the beginning of the month, I’m now back for two weeks. While I was in Paris the last couple of weeks, I felt a bit unsettled. I didn’t do anything special for my eight-year anniversary of when I moved back to Florence. I also didn’t do celebrate Thanksgiving although my beau treated me to foie gras for dinner. It wasn’t until I was in Paris that I realized just how much my life has changed this year. It’s almost as if the basket containing everything in my life was emptied and left for me to sort out. I’m still letting things exit my life and allowing new things to arrive. And even though everything is amazingly wonderful, I feel a sense of loss. It’s as if nothing yet has settled and I’m unable to move forward.
A short stay in Florence
After working in Paris for two weeks, a trip to the US, and a weekend stay in Paris, I finally returned to Florence on Monday. When I got off the plane, I took in a deep breath of air. The sweet scent of the Tuscan countryside tickled my nose. The air was warmer than it was in Paris and I felt my body relax. I was finally home after being away almost an entire month. It was the first time that I had been away this long from my beloved city since I moved here in 2004. I missed Florence, but fortunately I didn’t long much for it.
A sense of home
I have been in California for the last two weeks. I came here for a conference that my company organized and am now just enjoying my time before heading back to Paris. I love coming to California because I get to spend time with my family and friends. One of the most special gifts is when I get to reconnect with friends that I haven’t seen in years. It’s interesting to see how our paths went off in different directions and then cross again years later.
Shifting gears
One of the biggest changes for me when I am in Paris is my daily routine. My work life in Florence is flexible; however, in Paris, I have to follow my office’s work hours. I arrive around 9 am, work a few hours, take a lunch break with my colleagues, and work until 6 or 7 pm. My mornings in Paris are timed almost to the minute so that I can keep my usual routine of writing every morning and running three or four times a week and still managing to get to work on time by taking the métro to where my office is located.
Birthday weekend in Florence
After staying in Paris for two weeks and a few days in Matera, I was happy to arrive back in my beloved city where I could celebrate my birthday. I took Friday off so that I could visit Florence with my beau who came to my beloved city for the first time. I was excited to show him around and visit Florence again because I haven’t been able to do so in a long time. I made a mental list of all that I wanted to see in my beloved city and show to my beau.
Diving back into Florence
Normally, I return to Florence late Friday evening; however, this week, I returned on Tuesday at 6pm. I was initially going to spend a few more days in Paris even though I had already spent two weeks there, but cut my trip short so that I could see my soccer team play our archrival at the stadio (stadium) in Florence. The soccer season has only begun, but with my work schedule, I realized that the first partita (match) I could attend would be in December.