Christina's blog

I returned from Rome two weeks ago, after eight weeks of working in our lovely travel business, hosting gloriously fun groups of tourists from Ravello to Naples, Cortona to Rome. We followed it with two weeks’ holiday in my favorite city on earth, the Eternal City…Rome.

I’m in Italy as I write this, sort of post pandemic, sort of. The streets aren’t teeming with tourists, which is great for me, but not so great for Italy’s economy. It’s bouncing back, slowly, like the rest of the world. It’s a slow and painful process, mitigated by fear, politics and misinformation, but I’m not here to write about that.

I have missed this beautiful country more than I can say.

This past summer has been a challenging one for me on a variety of levels. There have been tragic losses and great triumphs. But the big one? Our little family had a serious health scare on Memorial Day and I am still reeling as I write this blog.

After weeks of saying WTF?!?! in my head several times a day; after weeks of questioning whatever fate brought this on us; after weeks of wondering how to put one foot in front of the other, I am ready to tell you what I have discovered.

I grew up in a pretty wild, outspoken household. I was considered the wallflower because I didn’t yell (still don’t). My Italian and Irish clan was politically diverse and loved to give their opinions. They fought and debated. Then they kissed, laughed and went on with their lives until the next round.

I do not often venture into political discussions and this isn’t one either, so take a breath. I am writing today about kindness…or lack of it.

How are you spending the long weekend? Working? Playing? Finishing up the pandemic house projects we all seem to have started and now want done, done, done so we can enjoy the summer to come?

Maybe you’ll spend the Memorial Day weekend cooking for a picnic, or prepping your grill, patio and garden to host outdoor feasts. Maybe you’ll host or attend, your first post-pandemic potluck. Maybe you’ll make some sandwiches and take them to the park or the beach.

As light begins to glow at the end of the long, dark tunnel known as the worst pandemic in our lifetimes, I thought I would write about something that has turned out to be a bit…controversial.

While the pandemic decimated lives (literally) and businesses, turning our lives into deep wells of isolation, despair and terror, I wondered how we would overcome this pandemic. What would we do that would give us even the smallest chance of creating a new post-pandemic life?

It seems so long ago, those days when a friend would ring and ask if I had time to meet up for a coffee or a quick lunch. During the low points of this past winter, I vowed I would never be too busy to drop everything and run off to meet someone. I used to love being with those I love best, catching up, sharing our plans and dreams, hopes and worries. Of course, reality hits hard and I am often confronted with conflict: the joy of actually being with someone versus the effort to retool my business to these times.

I don’t know about you but I am exhausted by grief. This has been the longest year of my life and I know I am not alone. It has been hard for all of us, in fact, unless you’re sociopathic.

In this past year, we have lost so many people to Covid, gun violence, murder in the streets, mass shootings. It feels unreal and unceasing. And we grieve yet again, for the loss of more innocent souls. I thought I had no tears left, but the well is as endless as this past year.

I was watching Bill Maher recently and he said what I have been thinking for some time now. That doesn’t happen often, so when it does, it gets my attention. Maybe it’s the months of reflection during this pandemic; maybe it’s the confinement to home; maybe it’s…I don’t know what.

For so many of us, it’s just another weekend in the same place we’ve been for months, living and working day to day; looking for work, dealing with school, struggling or just approximating living. Saturday, Sunday? Who cares? It might just as well be Tuesday or Thursday.

But it is, in fact Sunday so let’s make pizza.