Our Last Italy Day: Milan

It's very emotional for me to begin posting today about our excursion in Milan/Milano. You see these photos, Milan, this was our last day in Italy. Seeing the pictures today, even weeks after the fact, is bringing tears to my eyes. If I tell you about Milan, then even in my blog I will be forced to leave Italy. I will be forced to accept packing those proverbial suitcases and reliving that trek back around the globe in earnest. In that it has taken me this long to live my life in real time while simultaneously blogging about my great European-adventure-of-2011 (which has actually IRL concluded some time ago, just over three weeks to be exact) -- I have had the unbelievable luxury of feeling like I am still there, still in Italy, still craning my neck to see the weather beaten shutters open against the burnt Sienna walls. Somehow, posting about Milan will bring all of those gelato filled tasting days to closure. I wanna click my heels and go back. Or more accurately I wanna re-live every little nuance that went rushing by in the immediacy of the flooding of individual moments there and some how figure out this time how to savor it with the senses on absorb-for-an-eternity mode.

Blogging. I'm nearly 3 years into the process. How grateful am I for having created the small discipline in my otherwise not-too-disciplined days? Having the perceived sense of an "audience" beyond my immediate family has given me the responsibility of looking at my day from the perspective of "what is of enough value in my trek today for me to share and how can I document it?" It's a really significant perch. I look at old bicycles from the vantage point of 'Wow. I wonder who would LOVE that juxtaposition of line against color?' I think of those who will never walk the streets of Venice and attempt to soak up the sights on their behalf. I look into the eyes of my wee little wonder ones and realize how blessed I am and attempt to capture fleeting smiles mid-song. I see children's art hanging on the wall and recognize the gifts that we all are endowed with as we start our Earthly journey and ponder what happens to all of the creativity? Just exactly where does it go?

Punctuation. Grammar. Syntax. Chapters. Each day is filled with nuance beyond awe. It has been such a joy to experience outside my typical day's attention. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to share these glimpses. Here come the tears. Happy little individual tears of appreciation. Appreciation and reflection.