things going on . . .

april m lee

Jan 17, 2019

preparing and planning for my may and june retreats . . . what i will add, what i will keep the same, what i will change or improve (so excited!)
pondering another travel size course, maybe in february . . . i think it might be time to talk about the idea of ZEST in our lives (are you interested?)
over-analyzing my 2019 word of the year choice . . . realizing that its surface attraction holds much deeper meaning
dealing with distracting and sometimes overwhelming symptoms of my samter's triad diagnosis . . . i feel as if i'm exhausting the remedies (medical and alternative), currently experimenting with celery juice and perhaps seeing a tiny glimmer of relief
missing my two sons . . . two weeks post-holiday
staying much warmer this winter in my very cold villa . . . thanks to an electric blanket, a cozy pellet stove, and a husband who continuously stokes the cucina fire
slowly and painfully learning a bit more italian each day . . . i impress myself with my vocabulary, but i constantly feel deflated and defeated by my sentence structure (i'll keep trying, keep attempting to communicate though)
spending an afternoon with a 3-year-old and 7-year-old . . . "in charge" (though not really), reliving my babysitting days, sitting on the floor cross-legged, playing with legos and counting chips and italian/english toddler books (mine!), play doh and party blowers (not realizing what a hit or how loud they'd be when i introduced them to the mix), also baby dolls and a play kitchen and a newly invented break-the-language-barrier game of hide-and-go-seek (oh and a mini meltdown too!)
studying and practicing my qigong (which calms and centers me)
communicating daily with lovely women across the globe via my facebook group, facebook messenger, whatsapp, email, and phone . . . clients, friends, and new acquaintances inspiring my life
commiserating with eric, but not helping much . . . as a big old house and an older model car continue to take up lots of time and lots of care
cuddling with the cats . . . when loneliness and homesickness strike, they are the best
awaiting upcoming immigration stuff for eric . . . the next round, which had been delayed
dreaming up travel throughout italy and europe . . . which rarely happens due to the busyness of our current lives
keeping in close communication with my daddy . . . trying to figure out when i'll next have the opportunity/funds to visit him, missing him always, imagining him living alongside us and communicating with our friends and neighbors in his fluent italian
supporting eric's exciting new career opportunity . . . and also his consistent and persistent work as he builds his new cryptocurrency exchange
being interviewed by cinzia at instantly italy . . . so honored and thrilled to be featured on her beautiful site! check it out here: my expats in italy interview
anticipating rain . . . wednesday was dramatic but the sky never opened up, it's been awhile since we've had a downpour but today the showers are beginning