From Tuscany to the USA

We often become our surroundings-I'm like a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil, as we are adaptive by nature. So that when I escape from Tuscany and land in the USA, I need a minute to grasp reality.
First of all, after sweating for twenty straight days in Tuscany, I thank the man/woman who invented air conditioning on a daily basis. My friends are still dying in Tuscany.
Strange things have been happening. Two straight days my mom has slammed on her car brakes upon spotting the UPS man, who knows her, stops his truck in the middle of Reisterstown Rd and hands her her packages.
I finished a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby.
I began reading the book "Eat, Pray, Love", have sent love messages to at least three friends and have decided to work on my marriage that officially ended on June 30th, but which unofficially never really ended.
A lot has changed in the past three years, including me.
Yet, throughout the changes in me, I've found two consistent elements- my kids.
I have spent the past six nights in my little girl bedroom, ruminating over the good, the bad, the ugly and the miraculous.
My mind keeps returning to the night I took the wrong train, was heading for Lucca and got lost in Porcari (Shitville), where I spent two hours trying to convince a lost, runaway kid to return home.
At a certain point he reminded me a lot of me.

Emerald Green

Raising my kids in Tuscany, especially my deaf son, took me away from the competitive American way of living school and kids. The fact that I had no idea what the people surrounding me were saying contributed to this feeling, meaning that if they were competitive amongst themselves- I had no idea- I just smiled as an American mom in Tuscany. And my son grew. Then, along came my daughter...and with her my total acquisition of the language. Still minimal competition among children.

A family friend who is currently sweltering through a writing class in Florence came to stay with me this past weekend. I took her and my kids to a traditional town festival held at the soccer court surrounded by emerald green fields near my house. My kids disappeared for the entire time we were there, returning only to request money for ice-cream. She looked at me and asked, "They occupy themselves? They play outside freely with other kids?"
I replied, "Sure".
She said, "American kids don't know how to occupy themselves, they go from indoor activity or outdoor sport to indoor activity- always organized and supervised...no room for creativity."

I chose to live just outside of the main town in a residential area because I wanted my kids to be able to play tag and hide-and-go-seek just like I did as a kid. It's summer in Tuscany, they're free and out playing until midnight every single night. I chat with my neighbor- a 70 year old widow and her other neighbor who comes to talk to her to keep her company every night- from my terrace. I tell her about Jordan's accomplishments and Sofia's 7 year old escapades with my mascara and heels.

Strangely, we don't gossip, we communicate and complain about the unbearable heat suffocating us...yet, somehow, it never seems to bother my kids.

The other day I went to visit a friend of mine in his office and at a certain point he told me he wanted to give a girlfriend of his a ring. He had never given her a ring and he had this spontaneous desire to give her a ring. So, I said, "Okay, it's 7,30 and the shops close at 8- move it and we can make it in time".
He grabbed his things and we were out the door in a flash.

We walked a block and a half and he said it had to be an emerald. Even better! He told me to pretend he was shopping for me and to request to see emerald rings as we were approaching the door. I said, "No problem, Sweetheart".

We walk in as the man is about to close and I request to see his selection of emerald rings. The storeowner replies that the emeralds are in the other store, but he may have had one in the safe. He opens the safe and pulls out this beautiful emerald surrounded by diamonds set in 18 kt gold. My friend says, "Try it on."

The only problem was that I had wrapped a silver ankle bracelet with dangling hearts around my middle finger and as I pulled it off, we all couldn't help but notice that my finger had turned green.
*Smile*
I cleaned it and slipped the ring on my wedding finger.
Oh God....
It fit me perfectly, the most beautiful ring that looked amazing on my finger.
Must have because my friend said, "I'll take it!"
I said, "Shit!!!"
Damn that was a nice ring that will be on the finger of another woman...
I looked at him and said, "Sweetheart, the only reason I'm not going to get violent is because this was one of the coolest, most spontaneous things ever...and I am happy for that woman."
I slipped my ankle bracelet back on my finger and went home to my kids.

Emerald green is my favorite color.