Even though I’m in Sicily I’ve discovered that nothing is set in concrete! Just because you have a plan, doesn’t mean you have to stick to it. Things don’t always work out as you’d imagined and expectations are often traitors. Nowhere is it written that you can’t change your mind or your direction…
Without going into details, and in order to protect all parties involved, I will just say my Homestay Teach English program is over. As a result I have spent most of this week back in the Sheraton hotel working out, where to from here…?
This hotel is the best! Sleeping in a big comfy bed, swimming every day in their fabulous pool and having a massage and a spa have done wonders to restore my equilibrium. All traces of unhappiness and frustration have dissolved and I am starting to get a clearer picture of my way forward. It’s strange how this hotel has been a sort of haven. Coming back here for a second time has been a sort of homecoming. Some of the staff have remembered me and their welcome smiles were balm for my soul. The weather too, another sort of balm, has been brilliant (mid 20’s) and sunny. Having somewhere comfy to sit in it, has allowed me to absorb it’s light and warmth and remember who I am. Being in the water also reminds me how wonderful my body is and how strong I really am. Time out of the hustle of the city has given me space to reflect on the challenges I’ve been contending with. Coming to a place of peace within myself again, I breathe….
And then a procession of models arrives at the hotel….! Tall, leggy, coiffured, mascara-ed up, “skinny” young women clattered in through the foyer in their impossibly high heels! There are handsome male models as well, slick haired, floppy fringed, skinny suited, young Adonises, checking themselves out in every window they pass. They huddle in groups, lounging on the couches in the foyer and bar. Their long legs crossed and draped just so. They constantly take selfies, testing out their best pouts and sultry eyes. They look warily at each other, casting their eyes up and down the next model to arrive or step from the elevator. This influx of pretty insects continues all day and night. I overhear a variety of languages. I see them overtake the bar, the restaurant, the pool, always striding and posing with poise but thinly disguised anxiety. I ask the barmaid what is going on. A modelling competition apparently, culminating in a huge fashion parade on Saturday….😲
What was that I was saying about feeling strong and wonderful???? Way to go Universe! Just send one more thing to test my resolve not to listen to the demons of inadequacy in my head! From fabulous and fearless, to fat, frumpy and fifty something failure in 10 seconds…..! 😨 You gotta wonder about God’s sense of humour sometimes!
But this little black duck was not going to let a bunch of malnourished skyscrapers keep me from the pool. The beauty of the Italian timetable is that a siesta time still exists in some form between 2 and 4pm and wherever you are, this is the time that people disappear. Guess who got the pool to themselves at 3pm? Sure there were still a few elderly German couples and a young French family loitering on the poolside lounges but that didnt bother this intrepid water baby!😜
So after hours of internet research, I have the next two weeks in hand, at least…. Tomorrow I will bus to Ragusa in the deep south of Sicily and stay there for a week. This is the city of my forefathers and I look forward to just being there in the embrace of my ancestry. I have found a ground floor B&B with a lovely garden in the old city of Ragusa Ibla where my two Grandfathers were born. I have no plans other than to do some more drawings. Anything else will be a bonus!
After the week in Ragusa I will fly from Catania back to Florence where I will spend a few days in the town of Fiesole doing some secret research….! (You will find out in good time 😉) Then I will travel to Milan, where our exchange student Edo has kindly offered to put me up for a few days. Excited for Milan, as I’ve never been there. An added bonus could be that I catch up with a couple of my meditation teachers who happen to be in Milan at this time. This hasn’t been confirmed yet but I’m hopeful that it will be.
So, the adventure continues…..
HEARTSOULCENTER 