Traveling Mercies*
I’m home now after the longest travel day/night of my lifetime.
I did get sick in Assisi. Oh, well, my physical vulnerability was obviously needed for me to STOP. And STOP I did, with temperatures ranging from the 90’s to the 100+’s. And of course, no air conditioning.
Of course.
Some Simple Assisi Insights to Share—
Saying Good Morning!:
For me, it was a privilege, a blessing and a gift to say good morning in another language. Something so simple invited something different to emerge from the other person and between us, a different moment of connection, of deeper, shared presence.
Good morning in Italian— buongirno.
Sometimes I had it to offer.
Sometimes, there was nothing but silence inside my head.
I might then mumble hello, good morning.
About 1:00-2:00, the appropriate greeting becomes
Good day— buonasera
I never was able to say that, not once, being flabbergasted and confused by both time and words.
The Gift of Not Understanding the Language:
By not understanding what people were saying, truly I was given a different perspective on the moment. I couldn’t assume I understood what was going on at all—because I couldn’t. My witnessing of people was deliciously clueless and renewed, delivered from a more spacious and less immediately responsive place. I found this angle shift really a comforting gift. A relief. Spaciousness from others.
I found the Italians to be super-family orientated, most groups seemed to be family units, with children, parents—extended families. This seemed unusual, unlike typical vacationing people here at home. Very interesting and engaging to notice.
The Canine Gift:
Lots of people had dogs with them! This was great for my lonely-canine-heart. Perhaps it’s an Italian thing? A St. Francis thing? Bring your dog to be blessed? Sounds good to me. And oh, it was.
I also discovered the Italians weren’t too interested in my over-emotional, probably very American response of, “OMG, YOUR DOG IS ADORABLE—SO CUTE—CAN I SAY HELLO?” I learned to rope in my responses and keep them personal. My missing Niki (St. Nik as Cat calls her) had to be held in my own heart.
The Weather:
The intensity of heat is worth mentioning. It was new to me, and took so much of my attention, so much of my energy. The heat was so much more than heat. With it came a relentlessness, a never-ending physical holding and pressing that was, quite frankly, excruciating. It hurt to be outside. It actually hurt to be inside, too, without air conditioning.
The heat also strongly influenced the daylight. It was so bright, so unbearably, endlessly bright. It impacted me, my body, my eyes, obviously, my lungs.
Of course, I take responsibility for that last sentence—I pushed too much. Upon arrival I was so happy to be, so eager to walk and move through those magical cobblestone streets, I did too much on days #1 & 2, I walked too far, with too much excited-out-of-my-body movement. My lungs couldn’t do it. I had to crash, and stop. And rest. And sweat.
And so, I did exactly that.
I read a fantastic article in the New Yorker in the last few weeks about Europe’s responses to climate change. Very interesting, very engaging, very hopeful. Of course, they admit they have a problem called climate change. That would be the place to start. If anybody’s interested…..
A Message from St. Francis:
Sitting at his tomb early on in my visit—and it did this daily—after meditating with him, the message I received in my heart was very clear and very loud. It said:
“All of this external stuff you deal with—none of it matters, Aruni. It is all just here for you as proof that I am always, always here.”
Pretty cool.
Remarkably comforting
For my heart,
Incredibly practical.
I will take this message, this insight, away with me, tucked deeply inside my heart.
There’s more to say, too much, perhaps. I will rest my head and lay my bronchitis-filled-lungs down and return perhaps with more next week, if available, if appropriate.
Traveling Mercies questions for you dear friends:
What was your richest, most valuable travel experience?
What’s hard when you travel?
What’s easy?
Music:
I just “randomly” found this song. It is absolutely perfect for my moment. Perhaps there isn’t such a thing as random?
Dolly Parton—Angels in the Midst
~~~
LYRICS:
“Oh, oh, mhm
In this life we struggle when all we have to do
Is push aside the rubble, let the light shine through
Why do we wait? Let’s place our faith much higher on the list
Acknowledging the fact there are angels in our midst
Angels in our midst
Angels all around us, sent from heaven’s shores
They are sent to guide us and help us open doors
And amidst the rush and turmoil and chances that we’ve missed
We should know therе’s always hope
There’s angеls in our midst
Oh
Peace be still to know that if we listen close
We will find the answers to what we need the most
And in every rose and rainbow, in every child we kiss
Their presence is apparent
Angels all around us, sent from heaven’s shores
They are there to guide us and help us open doors
And if we’d live open-handed instead of make fists
Hands down, we’d win the battle
There’s angels in our midst
Oh, oh, mhm
In this life we struggle when all we have to do
Is push aside the rubble, let the light shine through
Why do we wait? Let’s place our faith much higher on the list
Acknowledging the fact there are angels in our midst
Angels in our midst
Angels all around us, sent from heaven’s shores
They are sent to guide us and help us open doors
And amidst the rush and turmoil and chances that we’ve missed
We should know therе’s always hope
There’s angеls in our midst
Oh
Peace be still to know that if we listen close
We will find the answers to what we need the most
And in every rose and rainbow, in every child we kiss
Their presence is apparent
There’s angels in our midst
Angels all around us, sent from heaven’s shores
They are there to guide us and help us open doors
And if we’d live open-handed instead of make fists
Hands down, we’d win the battle
There’s angels in our midst”
By Dolly Parton
~~~
Friends,
Give us the courage and the strength
To keep practicing.
Give us the courage and the strength
To keep showing up.
When we can, hallelujah.
When we cannot, hallelujah.
With kindness and focus
May we return
To the moment.
To us,
To others,
To all—
May we each practice being a beacon of kindness.
May all beings benefit from our shared words.
Blessings,
Aruni
~~~
*Title: An ancient Christian prayer for safe and smooth travel.
Also a glorious book by Anne Lamott by the same title, 2022