Tuesday, August 18

as the old saying goes...

What was that saying?

I'm faced with the contrast of opinions, even within my marriage, about the pros and cons of life in Italy vs. the US. I smile at the inane waste management system, the noise in the piazza warms my heart, soft prices, loud mothers, the crumbling walls... somehow it's all part of the charm. All the wonderful things about this place pull these idocycracies out of the gutter for me and arrive well within a level I am comfortable with. It does not disturb my peace of mind. It might even add to it.

My dear husband, on the other hand, saw a photo of a jammed highway during rush hour and was swept away by a wave of nostalgia. He misses his air conditioned car with comfy leather seats and lumbar support, his radio program and CD changer. The tranquility of his own personal space within that cabin during his daily commute. The passing miles of rolling hills intermixed with suburban sprawl. He misses his two hour commute.


And despite all the problems of being married to someone who comes from such a different perspective, one benefit is this contrast of how we see each other's relative annoyances, in a bright new light. I still hate a long highway commute, but can see how one could enjoy that time of solitude. He no longer groans at the millionth time the band strikes up the same tune, but lets the sounds brighten our home.

Not sure what saying applies... but I could be getting to a very good place, well, at least this stretch of the road is nice. ;)

4 comments:

  1. "And then they raise their glasses and said, this one is for the road' "

    Well, well, well, i guess life has its ways of balancing out. And the differences is one such way !

    :)

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  2. You ARE in a good place. Your husband's nostalgia for traffic shows how we adapt to anything and consider it "normal."
    Aloha, Christine- Comfort Spiral
    c'mon ovah

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  3. One man's junk (heh. I said man's junk.) is another man's treasure?

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  4. As an expat I felt both of those things. I think it's all part of the process :)

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...and you may ask yourself, well...how did I get here?