Meditalia - Chapter Uno

Ciao from Italia! Pisa, to be exact... We have arrived safely after a 9-hour flight.

It's 10h45 on Monday morning and it's our first full day in Italia. We had originally thought we'd go to the coast today, but have decided to continue exploring the city of Pisa. Our hotel is literally blocks from that famous Leaning Tower and yes, it really does lean. It's hilarious to watch tourists pose as if trying to hold it up! Yesterday we wandered around and made some lovely discoveries: a beautiful quiet church to meditate in, as well as a teeny tiny leather shop where we each bought a handmade photo album.

We've been here for 24 hours and have already had pizza, spaghetti, cappucino and GELATO (twice! :-)). I think I should have bought pants one size too big, just in case...

The other cool thing is that we're both jumping right into the Italian language, fearlessly asking for directions and striking up conversation with the young, charming Vito at our hotel reception. He was great in teaching us as we were talking. So far, everyone has welcomed our attempts at using their beautiful language.

A presto, amici...
Vivere in pace,

Taking Flight...

Many thanks to those of you who sent your good wishes! Please know that I am strengthened by your thoughts of love & friendship. A special thanks to My Girl Sunshine who called from Toronto and left such a beautiful message on our voice mail... Your energy is so positive and I thank you for sharing it with me! And unending Gratitude to Hubby who has supported me in living this dream since my friend first approached me back in November. I probably would have talked myself out of it were it not for you!

We fly out of Montreal, so we'll be leaving Ottawa around 12:30pm. I finished packing last night and concluded that my bag is now too heavy. Sooo, I'll need one last round of triage this morning. Hubby even suggested that I leave my "dressier shoes" here and simply buy new ones in Italy. I dunno... I bought these ones specifically for the trip! I think next time (!), I would buy less here and plan to buy more there... :-)

Next time I post, it'll be from Bella Italia. Until then...
Vivere in pace,

Just ONE more sleep...

I had the day off today and used it to take care of those last few things on my list.

After going to see the guy who cracks me up every single time (ie. my chiropractor :-)), I went to Capital City Luggage in search of an adapter for my camera charger. As I was looking at the wall full of chargers, somewhat dazed & confused, the Sales Lady came to my rescue. Turns out there's an adapter specifically for Italy, since they have this weird three-prongs-in-a-row electrical outlet. Sales Lady really seemed to know her stuff, so when she asked if there was anything else I needed for my trip to Italy, I said: "I dunno... is there?!" With great confidence, she simply said: "P-Mate. You can't go to Europe without P-Mate in your purse." She said it with such certainty that I felt I had no choice but to reply: "Well, OK then. P-Mate it is."

If speaking about normal, natural bodily functions makes you uncomfortable, you may as well stop reading now. For those who are still with me, you may be as surprised as I was to learn that P-Mate will apparently allow me to pee standing up! Finally, no more squatting and fearing wet shoes or moist pant hems! Now, here's the irony... the P-Mate is a lovely bright shade of green, with four-leaf clovers drawn on it. What are they trying to say?! HEY - GOOD LUCK WITH THAT! :-) In any case, if this thing can get me out of a pinch, with bladder empty & dignity intact, I don't care what the heck it looks like.

Ahh! what a joy to be fully human, with deep spiritual desires... and the occasional urge to pee.
Italy, here we come!

Vivere in pace,

Two more sleeps...

This evening, I marked the beginning of this journey with a blessing from a local priest. I didn't quite know what to expect, but what a powerful experience! I feel strengthened... supported... and ready. This experience helped me confirm my intention for this journey in the form of a short prayer:

"Help me to deepen my practice of meditation so that I may experience the true silence of God within me, inspired & humbled by those who have shown the way."

Vivere in pace,

Three more sleeps...

As I slowly make my way through all the teeny tiny details (i dettagli) of preparing for this trip, I need to remind myself of my true purpose on this journey: to deepen my meditation practice by tapping into the ancient contemplative tradition of the Christian mystics by going where they've been... by praying where they've prayed... by meditating where they've meditated. If I can uphold this intention, the minor details are sure to become less overwhelming.

I use a book of daily readings to help ground me when I meditate here at home. Today's page offered the following words of wisdom:

It is difficult for us to meditate because we are so hyper self-conscious. We cannot help, as it were, looking at the little television monitor serviced by the ego and seeing ourselves, thinking about ourselves, analysing ourselves. But meditation is concerned with a definitive silencing of that monitor screen. Meditation is a time of poverty, of silence, of self-forgetfulness. It is not a time for analysing ourselves, for thinking about our motives or imagining ourselves to be spiritual or sinful, but a time to be absolutely still in mind as well as body. (Dom John Main, OSB)

I cannot tell you how excited I am about the thought of turning off that TV monitor that my ego demands, and making the most of this opportunity to experience the silence, the stillness and the simplicity of meditating in the ancient hills of Tuscany & Umbria. How blessed am I!!

Vivere in pace,

Four more sleeps...

The good news is... everything seems to fit in my backpack. (BTW, thanks to Nancy & Brad for the loaner!) I tested it tonite and there's even room left for new stuff! :-) I s'pose I could reduce the contents even a bit more, but it's not one less t-shirt that'll make the difference. Basically, for three weeks, I'm bringing:

• 1 pair long pants
• 1 pair cropped pants (I love these and will likely wear them most days!)
• 1 skort
• 1 pair yoga/running pants
• 5 t-shirts
• 3 tank tops
• 2 long-sleeve blouses (with SUV protection)
• 1 long-sleeve top
• 1 cardigan
• 1 nylon shell (jacket)
• 3 pairs shoes (yeah, I know... but they're all so different! :-))
• 1 scarf/wrap
• + various sundry items & toilettries...

I found it a bit challenging to decide what to bring because I'm told it'll be very warm outdoors, and yet there are certain dress codes for many of the sacred sites we plan to visit. Since I will be staying at a convent for 3 days (Assisi) and a monastery for 7 days (retreat at Monte Oliveto), I need to be respectful of my surroundings as well. I found the Rick Steves Travel Tips web site especially useful in helping me prepare.

All for now!
Vivere in pace,

Five more sleeps...

After a wonderfully relaxing weekend and Canada Day celebrations with Hubby & friends, the panic has started to set in. Sort of. I had little lists of things to remember scattered here and there, and thoughts would come popping into my mind: Oh yeah, I gotta do this... Oh, and I can't forget to do that... You know how that works, don't you?!

So today, I took the time to combine all those little lists into the mother of all lists, thanks to gubb.net. At this point, I'm willing to try anything in order to regain my sense of calmness around this trip. I have a Stuff To Do list, a Things To Buy list, and of course, a Things To Pack list. At least it's all in one spot now, and life is once again manageable. :-)

Now, if you'll 'scuse me, I need to go meditate and tap into that place where I know that, no matter what happens - or what I may forget to bring or do - all will be well...

Vivere in pace,