Wow, it’s been a while… my last post was about 2 months ago…? I didn’t plan to spend that long without posting, but life has been moving at a very fast pace lately. During the last 2 months, I had many moments when ideas popped in and I felt like putting them into words, but the constant running around didn’t allow it. Or I was too restless to sit for a while and write something.
On my last post, I was getting ready to head to Italy and Portugal. I spent almost 2 weeks with my niece (Mariana) and her 5 year-old son (Artur) in Italy, helping them to get settled in Perugia. My niece is studying at Universita de Perugia for a semester, and took Artur with her. They were intense two weeks. We found a studio apartment to rent and a day care for Artur, bought some basics for the apartment and she completed all needed school paperwork in a couple of days. Then we had some time to chill, so we ventured out in the rain to visit Assisi, the birth place of Saint Francis (where we were actually blessed with a bright sunny day with the most gorgeous blue sky), and Florence. We also explored Perugia a little bit, a small town with medieval walls all around. But the most important thing to me was to spend time with them, to bond with my nephew who, before this trip, didn’t really like me. Well, he never had a chance to get to know me, because when he was born I already lived in the US and I have seen him only once a year since, but always with a bunch of people around. So, it was a thrill to have him hold my hand and tell me stories. It’s really cool to see a child so excited about all the things we take for granted. For them, it’s all new, all a big discovery. It makes me smile to remember it. However, when his mom was around, he went back to giving me the cold shoulder. Ha!
Mariana and aunt T in school gear – made me feel young!
When time came for me to leave, I had a heavy heart. It was hard to leave them in a strange country where they didn’t know anyone, and had to fend for themselves. But I was glad we were able to do all the things we had planned to: they were in a clean, comfortable, safe apartment and were both set to start school the following week.
Hanging out with Artur in the sun at the main plaza – one of the few sunny days we got in Perugia.
From there I went to Portugal for a work. Met with a customer, we did a factory visit. Always interesting to learn how things are made and to spend time with people I work with every day but never get to see face to face. Also, Portugal is such a pleasant country – and don’t get me started on the food and wine!
Then back home for 2 weeks and I headed to Rio for another niece’s wedding. Patricia and Bruno got married on February 27th, on their 8th year anniversary. It was very small, intimate event. There were all kinds of obstacles on the way (hello, Ganesha, we never forget you!). There’s been a lot of protests in Rio lately (people finally standing up to a very corrupt and abusive government) and, the morning of the wedding, a main road was closed, and it took us 3 hours to get to the place where the civil ceremony would take place. We were very late. It was extremely hot and the party would be outside. The flower arrangements we so carefully made the day before (when it was nice and cool) wilted by the time the party started. But we were all so happy, it didn’t really matter. That wedding brought up the best in all of us, even the cynical ones. I felt blessed to be able to be part of it.
They made it! This was taken a few minutes before the “I dos”!
Now I am back home, to cold New Jersey. We’ve had a very long/ severe Winter. There’s been lots of changes at work, people moving around, new people, lots of movement and unrest. I made a decision to take a hiatus from teaching Yoga (though I taught a Yoga class to my nieces and nephew while in Rio – their request – and it was fun), and quit both my teaching jobs almost exactly 5 years to the day I taught my very first class (February 6th, 2009). It was a hard decision, but I realized I needed more time for myself; needed to retreat and decide what direction to take next. Trying to do less instead of more. I guess I am trying to find a routine and enjoy it, trying not to be rushing from place to place constantly, trying to realize I don’t have to make everyone happy all the time, forgetting myself in the process.
But I am so not used to have free time that I find myself moving around frantically, looking for stuff to do, creating work. Who said relaxing was easy?
The Cosmic Yes 