It seems whenever we return from Italy I am stimulated to give greater thought to life and how we live it. I think this is simply a consequence of the fact that Italians live life differently than we. While busy, they spend a great deal of time engaged with other people in face-to-face encounters. It is warm and human. You never feel like they are rushing to be done with you to get on to the next thing. Our groups spend hours in leisurely conversation on our vineyard visit with Giovanni Dubini right in the middle of his most busy time when harvesting grapes. It is amazing.
So I read with more than passing interest Melody Beattie’s October 13 entry in her book Journey to the Heart. In it she asks, “Nothing else in the universe frets about being late. Does the moon ask if it’s where it should be?” She goes on to say, “Stare up into the sky on a beautiful moonlit night. Feel the quiet, timeless rhythm of the planets, the moon, the stars, the universe. Know that you are connected into a rhythm deeper and more secure than all your wondering could imagine.”
Italians spend lots of quality time together
Somehow, Italians get this, at least more than we. For Kristi and me, it is one of the compelling reasons to return to Italy season after season. The connection to the universe, to life is palpable. It leaves its imprint on us, and enables us to return and hold some of that close to sustain us until we return to the land not ruled by time.
Make Haste Slowly 