when in Rome
This year I gave my mother a trip to Rome for Mother's Day. I booked the trip for me, my mother, and my father, for the first week in November, as they were both off work at that time.
Little did I know that I, personally, gave myself a very special gift. Having been faced with one of the biggest decisions of my life, I needed the time away, to get some perspective, and to think. I had a beautiful, romantic/English-style hotel-room with a TV that had a hundred channels (at least) and we were blessed with such a beautiful weather- sunny, 22°C, blue skies...
My oldest and most special friend Nicole told me that I would know which way to go, after being in Rome. She sent me a text message saying "the city of Rome whispers you its secret in your ears", and she was right.
One morning I walked around in the beautiful area of Trastevere, as my parents visited the Vatican for the third (!) time, and I felt myself strong and clear. I had made my decision and I was sure about what I wanted- Trastevere was smiling at me, its window-shutters casting sharp shadows along the pastel-coloured walls and the fallen leaves dancing around my feet as I wandered around with my camera, stopping again for yet another espresso.
I could hear the whispers of the streets and the walls, I could feel the truth in the crisp, sunny air.
Sometimes it helps to get away to gain perspective and to see things clearly. But to me, it helped to be in Rome, to listen to the city whisper its secrets, to enjoy its beauty, and to watch the Simpsons without understanding a word. It helped me hear myself speak my own truth very loud.