On The Lam In Tuscany: Running To Life: I Never Would Have Thought......

Today after my run I came home and prepared a salad for my lunch. After cutting up the flavourful tomatoes I walked out onto my terrace and snipped off a few sprigs of fresh basil. The produce here in Florence is so full of flavour that I find myself eating vegetables and fruit more than I ever have. This is even more so the case now that the warm weather has arrived and the markets are overflowing with selection. This past weekend I went to the market with a friend and we actually stopped and took the time to smell the tomatoes and the grapes. We couldn't help it as we were so drawn to the aromas. After we were drawn to the most handsome chicken butcher, and he was actually over 6ft tall. While it is not hard to find a handsome italian, it is hard to find a handsome italian over 6ft tall. From a distance we enjoyed the tall, dark and incredibly handsome butcher, as Alessandro my favourite vegetable man laughed at us telling us that we would have to go speak to him as he is very shy. Oh to feel like a girl in high school again giggling over a handsome boy. Okay, back to the terrace Elizabeth...... focus.

I took my lunch out onto the terrace and enjoyed the warm sun as I ate. Then I began the task of sweeping and mopping my terrace. Although one can't really consider it a task as I enjoyed the hot sun beating down on me, the birds were chirping and all around me I could hear the sounds of this beautiful city. I love to hear the sounds of a city that is so alive.

Sunflowers on the left

As I was mopping the pigeon poop off the terrace I found myself thinking that if someone had told me twenty years ago that I would be living in a 800 square foot apartment in Florence, and mopping pigeon poop off a terrace, I would have thought they were crazy. For years I lived in an estate home, complete with magnificent gardens and a large pool, and thought that I was living a blessed life. Really, every moment of every day for years was a lie. Virtually everything in my life was a lie from the day I shared my wedding vows. I was married to a man that has lived his whole life deceitfully, and indeed I was living a life that was not real. So while I was scrubbing the pigeon poop I thought to myself that while my life is simpler now, with no extravagances, at least it is real. I am happy to be sweeping and mopping my terrace with Libby running around at my feet because now I don't care about the lies, now I have moved forward from betrayals, and now I am no longer wasting precious time fighting deceit.

Finding an apartment with a terrace in a large city like Florence is almost unheard of because once someone gets one they don't give it up. I didn't even dare to dream of finding an apartment with a terrace. Given my budget, all I cared about was it being clean. For almost three months I hunted on the internet for five hours a day for an apartment, and the remainder of the day was spent going and looking at apartments that well lets just say.....had filthy baseboards. Those that know me well know that baseboards are my cleanliness barometer. I cannot help it; when I go into someone's home the first thing I look at are the baseboards. I know a little crazy, but I am who I am. I had gone with a agent to one apartment and as soon as I walked in the front door I turned around and walked out. I walked backed to where I was staying in despair almost ready to give up and take an apartment that I was not really happy with, but it was clean. Then after being sick in bed for several days I received a call from the agent that showed me the last filthy apartment. She, with excitement, told me that I had to get out of bed and come see an apartment immediately as she was sure it was what I was looking for, and it had a terrace. While I had trouble getting excited with a fever, and I am sure that I must have looked as if I was on my death bed as I sure felt like I was, off I went kleenex in hand. This time as soon as I walked into the apartment I knew this would be my home; for a little while anyways. As soon as I saw the terrace I asked how soon could I move in.

To make the terrace feel like home I had to have flowers; lots and lots of flowers. I have always loved the beauty of flowers. Flowers just somehow make me feel happy. I also find it therapeutic to nurture the plants and watch them grow until they come into full bloom. Flowers are a reminder of the joy that is in life if you nurture it. We often forget the importance of taking care of ourselves and nurturing our dreams, and then feel shrivelled up like an unwatered plant. I wanted my terrace to be full of life; full of joy. This I knew would not be an easy task in a city centre. There would be no getting into a car and loading up the trunk with plants. Instead I had to make multiple trips, walking kilometres, to the store that sells the planters and soil. Soil in a suitcase on wheels, and planters in an Ikea bag, back and forth I went through the busy streets. I don't even know how many trips I made getting all the soil and planters that I needed. That part of the terrace project I am trying to repress. It was definitely a test of my perseverance. But if I want something badly enough I always make it happen. Many times in my life I have been faced with challenges....way too many times....but rather than saying something is too hard, or impossible, to accomplish I more often than not have come up with a plan to tackle the challenge. While many people have told me as I have faced head on what at times has felt like insurmountable challenges that I would grow with each challenge, let me tell you that after over 10 years of facing daunting challenges the only growth I want to now experience is watching plants grow on my terrace. With this in mind off to the flower market I went with my backpack and Ikea bag.

When it came time to pack for Italy I laid four suitcases on the floor and said if it doesn't fit in them it isn't going. At the time I had no idea how I was going to prioritize a huge walk in closet full of clothes, plus household items, thinking that each and every one I could not live without. Items went in the suitcases....and items came out. Yes my Michael Kors purse and shoes made the "must bring" list, but little did I know that the accessory that would become most important to me would be my $25 Wal-Mart backpack. That is the item that now I truly cannot live without.

My backpack and I made multiple trips to the flower market. This part of the terrace project I looked forward to each week. Row after row, as far as the eye can see, there are flowers and plants. At first it felt overwhelming just trying to take everything in as I meandered my way through the crowd of people. One trip at a time my terrace began to come to life. Now when I feel that I want a break from the hustle and bustle of city life, and I just want to take some time to be still, I go out onto my terrace - my little oasis. An oasis that took walking several kilometres, on multiple days, while lugging stuff on my back through the streets to make happen. Now that it is all done, as I mop away the pigeon poop, I enjoy every moment because while my life may now be faced with pigeon poop I no longer have to on a daily basis deal with lies and betrayals. I never would have thought that I would feel happy mopping pigeon poop, but I am learning on my journey that with simplicity comes happiness....a truer form of happiness.