You know what it feels like when you catch a glimpse of the sea? You start to hear it. You are, now, in front of the sea. Can you imagine it? Delightfully lighted at all times. Doing her thing. It’s what Fontana di Trevi felt like to me.
Feeling the engine of the plane ready to take off, in my stomach, just before sunrise, on my birthday, is one of the best feelings ever. Ever, ever. Lots of feels and feelings here. Good morning! I’ve always had this dream, freely floating, no matter what was going on, of flying, early in the morning, wherever I wanted to, for an entire day, and flying back into home’s bed, late in the night. An extra walk. Museum. A beach day. Lunch. Ice cream. For weeks, months, years wherever forever.
Waking up ahead of the alarm, on your birthday, at 2.14am is another feeling. Travelling with your handbag only is one more. I love my black dotted Mickey suitcase, but the easiness and flow of getting in the mix of clothes you know you’re at your best at in a specific moment in time, grabbing the handbag and fly away – let’s go and see the stars, the Milky Way or even Mars – is, yes, freeing. I knew I said freely for a reason. Subtly was another word that came to mind.
It’s the kind of freedom that feels like pure happiness. You can’t see it, but what you feel is on a completely different level. And it’s there at all times, no matter what, for you to grasp on. Remember of. Indulge in. It’s true. Just like you can’t outrun the sun is. Attractive. It’s all the emotions and stories and ups and downs and relationships and thoughts and ships and movies and dreams and determination and laughter and sparkles and tears and no tears and surprises and decisions and challenges and revelations and, yes, feelings that got you here. Now. Today.
Landing, very early in the morning, on a land where everyone spoke Italian, made me say ciao to everyone in a specific tone even I had a little giggle inside about. It didn’t leave throughout the day. It’s Rome’s soul that I, kind of always, have been sensing the essence of whenever Rome bumped into my life. It’s in the movies that I saw Rome, but tried to focus on the action rather than Rome. It’s from the people’s stories about Rome that I heard about Rome, but tried to focus on people’s stories. Obviously, obviously, feeling Rome all over the place at all times. Something inside a place inside of me just knew. Freely floating. And knew I wanted to, first, feel Rome myself. Is this what love at first sight means?
An embrace that feels like a song to me. A specific song that I’m writing. I can feel it in my head. Yes, feel. I can play it in my heart. Stardust. Cute, sexy. Sexy in that I just like it so much. Filthy cute. It’s pure love, it’s that pristine idea that makes you instantly happy. It’s in a way that just flows. The greatest love of all. Music gets away with lots of things. Naturally, it’s magical. It wasn’t raining yet, but it was definitely a little misty on my Sunday birthday morning in Rome. And, then, the sun came out. Another round of very fine raindrops followed. Sprinkles of sparkles. And, then, the sun took off.
First, it sprinkled as soon as I got out of the airport, thought well, ciao and thanked the hoodie for being with me, keeping my hair safe. I knew I felt inspired to wear it, on the day, for a reason. While strolling through the streets of Rome and quickly texting the people that I love and love me. Not skipping over the emojis. Entire declarations of love. This year, the 16th of April happened to be on one of the Easter Sundays. A lot going on which is, in fact, flying. Mm, my soul is shining. I was following city mapper’s directions while smiling at my phone and myself in the still pretty empty streets, Spring springing in my steps, under the light rain, when I landed into Piazza di Trevi. There it was. Candid. Glorious. In the streets, amongst the buildings and a couple of gelaterias, something that seems to be deserving of an entire Vatican around it, but this is something that wants to be amongst people. Humbling. You can have a chat with it. You and a couple of other hundreds of people, at the same time. For weeks, months, years wherever forever. You can feel a subtle awe in the air. It’s something that feels pure. No amount of phones here could ever outrun its majesty. This just in! I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Or phone from my bag. A calm, yet out of this world kind of feeling. And calm again, yet out of this world. Out of this world that actually feels like your soul.
This bag, one of the things I like about it is that it transforms into a whimsical box. Its badass chic handles… When you hold them the whole day long, it feels like you’re holding someone’s hand, I now come to this conclusion that I really, really like. When it’s not the strap you designed for yourself and attached to the bag, to one of your favourite bags, wrapping around the whole of you on. You’re in sync. Do you hear dead ass, dead ass, I’m dead ass, too? Badass, but sweet, you know the beat. I fell for the bag the second I saw it on the internet, a long time ago, and got it on the spot. It’s one of those things. I would add an inside pocket (passport, keys, important s*it, a coin), too, but you know me.
The leggings were there for a big reason. I knew I wanted to hug Rome, so something close to athleisure, definitely, did the trick. Very much. It’s the black velvet meets twenty five kilometres kind of thing. Slick.
As the sun was coming out, by 10am, from beneath the clouds, a desire to be in its light (and warmth) was rising along with it and there was nothing else for me to do but, soothingly, surrender. Romantic, romantic, but that meant walking alight through the narrow streets between buildings, in the labyrinth, to get under it. And, suddenly, I stepped into Piazza Venezzia. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And the sun in plain sight, sigh! Ciao!
These particular chucks with some sort of particular socks resemble Spring to me. Joy. On the inside for sure, but then when the inside meets the outside, style is born. Harmony. Familiar feeling. Diaphanous in all its comfiness. These chucks are light and have red stars. These socks have four sparkled black stripes and are soft, plush.
Colosseum, from afar, entered my sphere. Grand, surprising. When in Rome, one can walk and walk and walk and not forget, not even for a minute, one’s in Rome. Everything is everything and it’s out there, in here, everywhere forever.
Hm, I’d also like to feel cozy all day long and, as much as possible, make sure that I’m warm is what I told my bestie over the phone, while sharing the excitement, the screaming, both of us, and going through the combos I’d made, in a glance, right before getting into my pajamas, on the night before, whooh, about the gray hoodie.
The second round, it sparkled right before the time I was born on the actual day that I was born. It was fantastic. Intense and it happened right at the Vatican. As I was approaching it, I could feel a gentle buzz trembling. You know what it feels like when you start to hear the waves? Warm. Warmer. Disco. You are now in front of the ocean. Can you imagine it? Only this time it’s also 360. Hot. Almighty. Right in the middle of the square. I stood there, held it in. The sky was fabulous, the soft Spring wind was connecting us all. Us all, yes, and us all in the entire square, people waiting in lines and myself not waiting for anything. Just absorbing. Luckily, I’d left my phone to charge at a coffee shop near by with people that made me feel like home and I didn’t even tell them it was my birthday, awm. Remembering how to breathe. Each time. The sun comes up. My parents always wish me Happy Birthday right on that time. Aren’t happy tears something? When I saw it approaching, on the big clocks on the left and right of San Pietro Basilica, I flew to get my phone and came back. Something pulled me back. Back into the middle of the square, right in front of it, in front of San Pietro Basilica and I was in awe again. Renaissance style. I just couldn’t take my eyes or mind off of it. The heart was at the centre of it all.
Purity to me is perfection. Just like authenticity to style is. Or life, really. And then, one day, we start to see the beauty in imperfections. Just like we do in life. In the pure imperfections. Purity to me is perfection which is pure happiness. It is tying up with passion. Mouth watering. Flying. Fly like an eagle let that spirit carry me, I wanna fly, Fly right into the future, do you hear it, too? Into the truth that you firmly stand in, your truth.
Yup, none of the combos above made the cut, but a mix of them, the best of them, in that morning moment, did. With the gray sparkling tank top no one knew about underneath. But U did. Haha. I did is what I’d intended on typing and U happened to be near I on my keys.
Battery must like to fly, too, but if this means walking on a street you like that takes you to a lovely piazza you like and an Italian restaurant the vibe of you like to put it to charge in and it’s also your birthday… You write your own story. Something good, pasta, something good, wine, I know I wrote mine. Instinctively. Mm, that fine buzz.
I was intentionally walking towards it, stopped on the way, here and there, consciously expanding, got back on track, walked some more and it, still, felt like I bumped into it. Still felt like a surprise, a feast for the eyes. The last place I stopped at, before bumping into it, was a gelateria. I knew I was not leaving Rome without an ice cream, get on top. I take just a taste, as I put my feet back in the street, when guess who shows up right in front of me. I enjoy my gelato sinking in the atmosphere, taking a picture. I loved having ice cream in my hair for a minute. I love having ice cream in my hair for a minute. Up here feels good, but as I’m tossing up my hair in a bun, an impulse takes over, I’m getting through the smiling, rumbling crowd and I’m down, into the perfect spot, all in a matter of seconds – this feels like a moment in time to treasure forever – on the lap of Fontana di Trevi. In this light. In an instant, everything is perfect. Sublime. Just as every instant is. Picture, wishes coming true and a coin from Bali (funny intersection) that happened to be in my bag, to mark the moment. It’s interesting how this coin, one day, slipped into this particular bag. Almost unnoticeably, but Ciao! 500 something stamped on it. I liked it. Why hold on to a memory I will treasure forever, anyway, instead of creating a completely new one? Let the past nourish your future. You’re being taken to places you couldn’t have imagined or planned for, anyway. When I was up there, I thought Nah, I know what I want and this is so cheesy, but making a wish on my birthday and, traditionally, throwing the coin in Fontana di Trevi, in this light, was so fun. Plus, I can’t imagine myself saying no to a bite of delicious parmigiana ever. Oh, and after this, in all this, a boy, all of a sudden, proposed to a girl, she said yes, so the cheers and the round of applause got everyone’s attention and, for a second, it felt like we were all clinking champagne.
Falling asleep on the flight back is something pretty new to me, as is sleeping in until noon which didn’t happen to me even on the first day of the year. When I woke up, for a fraction of a second, and looked out the window, I was amazed by the thought of me sleeping, yes, but I was even more so amazed by the sight of the stars, so graceful, so close, in our bed, the sky. I thought Ooh, I hope I wake up one more time, out of the blue, and see you all, so close and clear, one more time before we land and so I did. Yes! Fell back asleep right away. Miraculously.
Way more than twenty four hours of almost no sleep and loads of living. With music intimately enjoyed between your ears only. Not all the time because battery is battery, you need to charge it and when you do, those moments might become the moments you’ll treasure just as much and didn’t even know you needed. But, oh, the moments you put the headphones on and your head is in Italy, oh-oh.
I might not be the biggest planner, I love a vision, but when I plan two days in advance, through an entire orchestra of moments that lead to a day charged with an entire orchestra of moments, a really good plan comes true. Peacefully. Exciting. It’s the beat. The red trench? Is in just as much awe of this moment in time as I am. Thank you to everyone who participated in the sparkling way we all adore. It’s love! Overflow of love. Real love. Fearless love. Soothing love. Love! Love love love love love. Here we go.
Life evolves in unforeseen ways, so to stay open to and embrace change is, basically, life giving you a huge hug. You took the decision to grow. You know your path is about becoming your true self. Clarity keeps on coming in waves. You can’t predict what’s going to happen in your life, why trying to control the current? It might just release the eccentric in you. It’s okay to be different. Think different. We, certainly, know what the waves are doing. Their thing. As everything happens for us, change comes in genuinely. It’s up to us. You can choose to be a butterfly today and a dragon tomorrow or vice-versa. It’s only one of you in this world and, you know me, the other one who sees you. Magnetic.
Intimate, intimate, but isn’t sharing something wonderful with someone you love the s*it? It is to me.