SIMPLY LIVING

It occurred to me the other day that I hadn’t posted anything “meaty” in a while, and I started to think about what I should be writing about. We’ve been very busy ever since we returned from the states, mostly getting together with friends. We’ve hosted several get togethers at our house and have visited with friends, both new and old, at various locations. Some days we’ve simply stayed at home, enjoying the fantastic weather, listening to the breeze as it rushes through the trees behind our house. And then it struck me….we’ve begun a whole new chapter. Now the title of the blog REALLY applies….now we are simply LVING in Italy.

It’s not that I don’t expect there will be new challenges…I’m sure there will be plenty. And I still expect there might be a bureaucratic headache or three still in store….there’s no escaping that, especially in Italy. But, we’ve renovated the house, furnished it, planted the gardens, bought a car, established residency, found our favorite restaurants and shortcuts, and in generally, just settled into LIFE.

The most wonderful part about being retired and living in Italy is that we are still constantly in awe of our good fortune. This was never our lifelong dream, it just happened. We never expected to be able to retire ANYWHERE in our early and mid fifties. And yet here we are, ages 53 and (almost) 59, enjoying the sunflowers, watching the grapes get fat on the vine, checking the olives as they go from tiny, tiny flowers to dark green ovals filed with the oil we love so much.

We were lucky enough to realize what was truly important to us. Once we made the decision to move, Art sold his beloved BMW with only a tinge of sadness….but no regret. So many of the “things” we had accumulated over the years were sold at a loss or simply given away. Had we known earlier what our future held, perhaps we wouldn’t have bought so much “stuff”, but we enjoyed what we had, and when it was time to move on we did so with no regrets.

So now maybe the blog won’t be so interesting to other people, because now it’s just about us. About the little things we do or see that are memorable or noteworthy. Our neighbors in Rotecastello asked us if we’d like to help them at the festa next month, and of course we said yes. Last night we shared pizza with Belinda and Giacomo. We told Armando how much we’re enjoying the tomatoes from the plants he helped Art select. Just normal, everyday stuff….but with a twist……we’re in paradise...living simply...simply living.