Day 145

Monday August 3, 2020

We continue in the same path with this pandemic. "The coronavirus pandemic is ebbing in some of the countries that were hit hard early on, but the number of new cases is growing faster than ever worldwide, with more than 200,000 reported each day on average." -NY Times

So it goes. And so love goes. It goes on and on for Maren and me. We were visiting with some friends the other night and they asked us our story.  After reminiscing we both remembered the magic of the evening we went on our first date.  It is still fun to talk about eighteen years later. 

We found love right away and have nurtured it through our years and although they all have not been easy we persisted and always found a way back to the way it is now.  Love-simple and true.

One strange phenomenon regarding COVID-19 is the odd extremes in people who are infected. 

We have learned underlying factors can lead to sever sickness and even fatality, but beyond that some people are acquiring the virus and it is making them extremely ill and in some cases dying even when they were completely healthy before being infected.  On the other hand are people who are infected and do not even know it because the are asymptomatic.  This is a mystery that still has experts perplexed.

Lately I have been pondering how quickly our moods can change.  Mostly due to circumstances that are constantly changing around us.  And even more so during the pandemic.  So I was trying to remember why last week, in the middle of the day, I felt happy.  I could not quit pin it down, but just yestrerday I had another moment of unabashed joy.  And I remember the moment it happened and I know why it happened.  It is because I am Italian! I was enjoying and expressing my Italian heritage! 

Frank Sinatra was singing When you're smiling as I began to chop the onions and garlic. I was sipping a red wine blend and enjoying the flavors.  As I prepared the peeled tomatoes to go into the pot and collected my Italian spices I realized how happy I am being Italian.   

No matter the condition of the world or the circumstances we may find ourselves in, at that moment I was at peace with who I was and what I was doing.  I had hope. Even if it was just faith in a bowl of rigatoni and marinara sauce.

It may be the music, the smells, the people you are with and in that moment you find yourself content to be who you are.

Thanks Mom and Dad.  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Portoghese and Monterosso for the lineage and the Italian blood flowing through my veins.  And the love of all things Italian forever nestled in my heart. Per sempre Italiano!