Roma and such

There is so much racing through my mind at the moment that I’m not quite sure how to convey it properly, let alone fully. I’ve been in Europe for ten days now and have been in three separate countries. It’s a lot to take in and process.

I know that I bleed red, white, and blue; that I stand behind the Declaration of Independence, our troops, and the Buffalo Bills. But we try so hard and to what end? In Rome they do not bring your check until you ask for it; Jess and I would sit at restaurants an hour after our plates had been taken up. In Rome they go to work late and they leave early, they drink, and are in full favor of PDA. And the streets are small, so are the cars, and the houses too.

To sum up: THEY ENJOY LIFE. And that may be wherein success lies. It is not in money or power or influence. It is much more about a richness and a success that is deeper than what you have. We, in America, I think can very quickly be overcome with a sense of entitlement that leaks out into the way we live, even down to the way that we eat. The U.S. is called the “land of opportunity” very often, but we miss the big ones sometimes. The family ones and the friendship ones and the desires we do not fulfill because of the lack of money or status and such. We settle for quantity over quality. Sure, it’s nice to know when the bus is coming, but then you wouldn’t have a bus driver that detours from his route to help you mend the mistake that got you lost. It begs the question, What is most important to me?

I wish I could say I slowed down and enjoyed on my own choice, that I did as the Romans did. I can assure that I did not, much to my own dismay. I do not speak Italian, wear heels on a daily basis, drive a motorbike, or have a thorough knowledge of the bus system. I also ate pizza and gelato for every meal, which I’m sure they do not do, any more than I eat McDonalds. Eventually I had to though, because although Rome was not built in a day, it’s possible to see most of it in that amount of time. Because of an airport strike we were stuck for 2 extra days. We had pretty much done all there was to do and so we sat and ate and enjoyed. We soaked up the time, sun, pizza, and all the beautiful and funny and unexpected moments that come with such a place. They were my favorite days I think.

We saw it all: The Trevi fountain (where we each threw in our coins and wished for love), the Pantheon, Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Campo de Fiori. The significance that went with such old places would be hard to surpass. You have to stop yourself and say, Paul was here and he wrote the letter Romans to the Christians that lived here.

The art is astounding. It made me want to try, to REALLY take time and make something beautiful. I mean, honestly, Michaelangelo spent 8 years on one ceiling. It was him who said that “Our greatest danger is not that we aim too high and fall short, but that we aim too low and achieve our mark.”

We’ll see how long blogging lasts, but for now there are a few thoughts.
p.s. couldn't get pictures up... facebook will be the place for that.