Quiet Weekends are for Musings

As I have spent (wayyy too long) gathering and organizing content for posting here, I wanted to get down some thoughts about how I balance traveling and everyday life. My kids and I have a mostly regular work and school schedule - Monday-Friday typical daytime hours. Both their school and my work have built-in adjusted attendance policies so we are able to have longer travel weekends most any month, and we can also plan longer trips through the year. We are fortunate (and sometimes, not so fortunate) to be able to recognize and celebrate both American and Italian holidays. Planning around Italian holidays and special events can be tricky, such as during the month of August when most of Italy shuts down for Ferragosto. Anything short of an emergency needs to wait until the country has returned from vacation. And when it's a beloved American holiday that's not celebrated in Italy (e.g. Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Mother's/Father's Day [fall on different days here], etc.), it can feel less than celebratory just in general.

All that to say, the winter months for us consist mostly of quiet weekends at home. We travel once or twice a month most of the Spring, Summer, and Fall months. Winter is reserved for what Winter is intended to be - hibernation, reflection, rest. These are the months we catch our breath, clean and organize all the things, and stack up our travel funds. We've done our fair share of Winter getaways, like to Cortina to ski and to Innsbruck for the Christmas market, but we definitely travel a lot less between December and March.

This weekend was one of the relaxing kind and I've been reflecting on our time here. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," I say often. This phrase is ever so fitting, with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, just as life often tends to ebb and flow. From grieving and mourning literal and figurative deaths of loved ones and a pet, to promotions and accolades for long hard days at work. From traveling to places like Belgium, Croatia, Scotland, England, Austria, Germany and Switzerland just in 2024, to grappling with chronic pain and not finding answers on how to feel better (in another country! SN: I'm feeling much better now, I think my soul fell asleep wrong, kink in my aura, something like that lol).

I am in awe of this beautiful life, and also soul-tired of how brutal it is. The world is literally on fire, wars are being waged across the globe, people are starving and dying just because of where they were born. I count myself abundantly blessed and will continue to push love out as far and wide as I can reach, starting with my left and right. Seeing the world, experiencing other cultures, tasting all the foods...these experiences have expanded my mind's horizon and made me that much more grateful for an experience like I've had, during the time on this Earth that I've had.

Quiet weekends can be the perfect balance to a high-tempo travel lifestyle and work/school life. And for now, I will continue to seek goodness and soak up every opportunity that comes my way. This is the life I manifested, that I am so blessed to be living. I will not suppress my soul or dim my light, the greatest gift we can give ourselves is love. Here's to me loving me (and you loving YOU) all 2025!

From Italy with Love, Tam