Therese Marie

I’m not a city person, but this place is beautiful.

It’s confusing to my heart, to have such love for the cobble stone streets, the smells, the views peaking through the buildings, and yet feel so out of place. Maybe this has been my problem all along, trying to fit into places I “should” be. See, Firenze is beautiful, everything a girl could love. And it doesn’t have what I love in particular (MOUNTAAAAINS). And that’s ok.

I believe that we can mold ourselves to any situation, any mode of living. But I’m realizing I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to be something I’m not, and that has been so miserable. There is a fine line between being flexible and being something you’re not for someone else. My friend (well, alright, maybe more than a friend…like, you know, I really like him and – oh I don’t need to tell you about this) had some wise words to say about that:

If we as humans don’t believe we are allowed to act the way we want to, it challenges our core beliefs about ourselves, which can in turn develop an unhealthy relationship with the mind and soul

This comes up in city trips, where the world appears to be loving it, and yet I feel sad. Big sad. I feel like I’m doing something wrong since I am not loving it as much as everyone else. And that’s just not helpful! I am literally a fish out of water. I am trying to love a city when my heart lies in nature.

That’s not to say I can’t enjoy a little bit of time in these narrow streets!

I have eaten pasta and gelato every day.

No, no I’m not kidding.

I won’t bore you with too many details. But wow. It’s so good. Ugh, the food is so good here. It’s – like, go anywhere you’d like, ANY restaurant is going to have freaking amazing food.

Who are all these faces?! Oh, they are my AMAZING COUSINS AND WONDERFUL FATHER AND SUPER COOL SISTER. Like I mentioned before, my sister got a LOT of our family to come visit her. It’s been wild.

My cousins sure do know how to travel in style.

And we all have so much love for each other.

It’s a unique experience, getting to travel abroad as a family. At least, it is for me. It’s a big deal to get such a large squad over the pond. And each moment that comes along – well, I wonder about what I take for granted. I wonder what I will one day miss, what I will one day forget.

My dad has accomplished something pretty interesting: a routine. He did the same thing every morning, and made friends! He went to church, bought oranges from the same farm stand, and picked up a few pastries, then came home and made us orange juice and coffee. Because of that, Florence started to feel like a home.

There is much to see in this epic city, but it is my time to travel on.

I didn’t do much planning, so right now I’m on a train to Lago di Como, a place recommended by a beautiful human friend who came here over the summer. I have no idea what I’m doing – but that’s a feeling I love so very much.

In fact, my favorite feeling is that which accompanies you when you leave your comfort zone. The “oh my GOD WHAT AM I DOING?!” feeling. That feeling when you realize you only have control over yourself, and everything else is up to the universe.

I search for that feeling every day.

To capture the essence of life.

And, with that sentiment my friends,

I depart to Lago di Como, and have no idea what awaits me up there.

But as long as I can smell the flowers, I will be happy.

Ciao!

xoTM