la dolce vita

“The sweet, soulful, life”…

The title of our first discussion post on the Gonzaga ORGL Blackboard page: “Is there life after jet-lag?” evokes responses that are colorful and varied; Each of us experiencing the transition to some degree of  “life as usual” after two weeks of immersion in a dynamic group experience…strangers in a strange land –privileged partakers of the culture, its people, academic challenges, and interpersonal relationships.

My re-entry into the life before Europe was delightfully prolonged both in time and place. It was extended two weeks traveling in Europe and ten days in the states with family. My thirteenth flight ended at the Albuquerque airport on Monday July 4^th and, as of this writing, I am 24 hours home and just beginning to fall into a kind of comfortable rhythm. Beyond the physical sense of overload, is the chafing transition into the realm of duty and deadlines. The past 41 days have made few demands on me….no hard schedules and, besides toothbrushing and showering, no significant responsibilities…a relaxed pace taking life as it comes…”La Dolce Vita….”the sweet, soulful life.”

My initial approach to this first day back was speed. There is so much to do that the default strategy--  jump on it and ride hard until it’s done…seemed smart.  I began today with a six-mile walk in my neighborhood that included some challenging hills. As I walked, I mused on my next goal: unpack and do laundry. I could already visualize the empty suitcases and the neatly folded laundry. Before tackling this first project, I took a nap. Four hours later, the suitcases sat by the backdoor waiting for my husband to store them in the garage and the familiar sound of the dryer tossing my clothes resounded through the house. About this time, I was ready to generate another small goal when my husband called and invited me to lunch….defaulting to European slack mode, we took a leisurely lunch at the Wild Herb and I came home and took another short nap (like the Italians and my SC son) and then sat in front of my computer watching my Facebook newsfeed and playing with some receipts.

My next goal:  posting some checks and paying five bills went exceptionally slow with interruptions to talk on the phone and Skype my grandson….but making progress---though the goal is accomplished in record slow time. I then envisioned a home-cooked meal. We had pasta and fresh green beans at the dinner table…and we ate it slowly---like Leonardo.

It’s 9:10 now. I did the few dishes we used making and eating dinner and I am drinking a glass of wine….it’s making me sleepy and I think my evening will be over soon. This transition day has been strangely unhurried but peaceful ...with some duties fulfilled. I did not make a whole lot of progress and honestly hold hopes that maybe I made a permanent shift into a lower gear…”la dolce vita.”