Kindnesses

Last night I met a friend for pizza; proscuitto and artichoke for her and my favorite crostone for me. We sat at a covered outdoor table and spent 3 ½ hours eating, drinking red wine, and talking “girl talk” finally dragging ourselves home shortly after midnight. I really like her and it’s refreshing to talk to someone who’s so interesting, open-minded, and is in a similar place in her life. She is also my age and has like spiritual beliefs which gives us a lot of common ground. I stopped by the shop where she works today and invited her to Florence with me on her day off tomorrow. I thought she might not accept as she only has one day a week off on which to do personal things, but she said she’d like to come. We’ll meet at the bus stop in the morning for the 8:45 to Camucia. I am really looking forward to tomorrow!

After my late night I was hoping to sleep peacefully, however it was hot and I had a couple glasses of red wine coursing through my veins which left me dozing fitfully until early this morning when I was awakened by a very loud male voice at 7 AM. I sleepily dragged myself to the window overlooking via Roma, quietly unlocked the window, climbed atop the twin bed situated under the window, and leaned out over the wide stone windowsill to have a look at the goings-on. A middle-aged, shirtless man with wild hair was hanging out of his second floor window across the street and to the right of me. He was yelling stridently in Italian and gesticulating wildly at an elderly woman on the third floor directly across from me who was grunting back at him. I have no idea what the argument was about or how it started as I could not understand a single word. I noticed the curious heads of spectators popping out of windows all along via Roma and was surprised that the carabinieri didn’t appear to defuse the situation. As I was already awake, I decided to talk a walk before the sun gained its full strength. I was tired however, and could only complete a short circuit of the park. I will need to walk again this evening to meet my fitness goal. I seem to be eating more lately, so walking a certain distance each day has become a priority.

I am still doing some sorting and cleaning in preparation for my departure. I just do a little each day in addition to my normal chores. The heat is still uncomfortably hot and the sun blinding where it beats down on the paved streets and thus I move languorously doing just a bit at a time or lying under the fan with a book. The Val di Chiana is nearly always hazy with the famed Tuscan light these days, although the little side valley where I like to read is clear, green, and covered with trees.

There is an elderly man in town that always stops me to talk about the weather. He has thin white hair and dark, sparkly eyes which crinkle up in friendliness as he talks to me. He looks like such a happy person and I enjoy chatting with him, even if I don’t understand much of what he tells me. He likely doesn’t understand me either, but he always makes a point to talk with me when he sees me and I appreciate his gesture of kindness. I want to have a face etched by a liftime of joy, like he has.