Buona domenica. (Days of the week and months in Italian are lower case.) Today, this particular Sunday, is perfect in my little world, a day overflowing with simple pleasures and gratitude. A light rain began late last night and has yet to cease. I am not complaining because I love the rain, and I know before long the heat and humidity will arrive and most likely, too, my lamenting at how I feel like a wilted flower.
Mabel, freshly bathed and with fur fluffier and softer than silk or satin, and I went out this morning for a long walk along the Lungarno. We visited with some of our usual morning contacts. Later I had a few conversations about our plans for the upcoming week. I enjoyed a gentle restorative yoga practice. A bit of homework as well as a bit of work for pay were done in the morning hours. My home is clean and orderly.
Like every other day, I have my list of "Things To Do." I have more work to do, but it is a manageable amount. Many days I am easily distracted and boondoggle the day away in spite of my intentions. And when a day like today comes along where everything is perfectly aligned and I can do whatever I choose without obligations and deadlines looming over my head, often I am too tired, the choices too many, and I become paralyzed, in a sense, as to what is it I really want to do with this "free day" because it is only one day, and there are so many things I could do ... and what happens? I end up doing something unplanned, not even desirable, and fritter away the time. In Los Angeles, I cried for days like today. My life was stressful in corporate America. Even in Italy it can be a struggle to have a day like today.
Not today! I am enjoying a well-balanced, quiet, soul-nurturing day in my home. Sweet Mabel is nearby. She keeps her eyes on me at all times. She makes no demands; she just lets me know she needs and loves me. Loving her is the easiest thing in the world. I feel comfy and cozy inside and out. Comfortable clothes wrap my body. Recently, I have experienced some small mental/emotional/perhaps even spiritual shifts and feel great. Various things need my attention, but there are no major projects that need to be accomplished today. I took a break from my work to come downstairs and read about women that are creative and the space in which they create. Inspirational, instrumental music plays in the background. Periodically, I look up from what I am doing, make eye contact with Mabel, and watch the rain.
Creating a great day, for me, begins with adequate and restful sleep. Since I was a child, I found it difficult to end my days, and the morning is my favorite time of day. Needless to say, I rarely get enough sleep. Last night I had a solid six and a half hours of sleep and woke up feeling like a new person.
Today I am enjoying each and every minute, consciously making the choice of what I want to be doing, free of guilt and anxiety. I feel love and loved and completely at peace and at ease in my own skin. There is no where else I would rather be and no one else I would rather be with in this moment. Today is perfect just the way it is.
My personal experience of this particular Sunday may not sound like much to get excited about, and it may even sound as if I am having a lazy day. But for me, this is what life is about, the simple pleasures, gratitude, love, self-acceptance, conscious choices. Instead of "doing," today is about just simply "being."
To you, I bid a "Buona domenica!"
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