Five years ago Frank and I were on
our way home from a month in Italy.
For four weeks we'd lived in lovely
Roman and Florentine residences.
Hence at least to us we had lived in
Italy as locals not visitors. For this
homebody said sojourn was quite
different from an ordinary vacation.
Once established we both fell into
a groove until by the time we left
our Roman apartment specifically,
it felt as if we were leaving "home."
And that is our best memory of all!
Raised within a rather vanilla world
of waspdom, I craved anything but.
My ex-wife is Italian and hence my
children prefer to claim her lineage
not mine. It's no wonder given said
culture has much more allure than
a membership in the DAR. Those of
differing extractions exhibit unique
characteristics beyond geography and
dialect. Unlike my reserved ancestors
they have natural gusto, passion, and
the pride of being seemingly unique.
No wonder we all want to be Italian!
Frank's mother was 100% Italian.
So he grew up with garlic and gusto.
However there is a vast difference
between those of northern versus
southern extraction. While my prior
exposure to a southern famiglia got
"spicy" at times, Frank's relatives
have an innate grace and elegance
about them. However both share a
love for food, family, and friends.
Therefore while I am most certainly
not Italian, I try my best to keep up.
No wonder I've gained some weight!
In theory lineage back to the Mayflower
offers one some benefits. Yet while few
still read the Blue Book, some prefer to
keep anyone beyond it's pages at bay.
Like most fundamentalists, the result of
such snobbery is a limited perspective.
Said myopia may be oddly reassuring
(especially at the Country Club) but why
be blind to all that our world has to offer?
The very idea of prohibiting some people
from joining one's circle seems foolish at
best. If I've learned nothing else, it's that
I still have much to learn. How about you?
Why do we always want what we don't
have. I've come to the conclusion that
the secret to happiness may be simply
considering the ordinary... extraordinary.
Shopping for groceries in Rome was an
adventure. So many new things to see
and devour! Yet one can assume that if
a Roman journeyed across the pond to
Lewistown - they'd be equally fascinated
with our local Albertsons. Here in the
middle of no where we're surrounded by
many things that are unique. Our only
challenge is to simply appreciate them.
Last week Frank's visiting relatives
from northern Italy helped us see
Lewistown from their perspective.
Suddenly home seemed new. Hence
rather than travel many miles, maybe
all we just need to open our hearts,
minds, and eyes. Given perception is
reality, why can't we change the way
we think and view our own environs?
Like the Italians we need to celebrate
life and be proud of where we live.
So... here we go... repeat after me...
VIVA LEWISTOWN! Ciao!
