Il Ginocchio

Il mio ginocchio (my knee) hurts a lot during my latest trick but it's worth it. The pain is part of the experience. I am at Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano and I am crossing the street to 'Scala Santa.' These steps, I have read, are steps Jesus sauntered across during his time. I love this 'posto' (place) because it makes me slow down and think. Each step, here, you have to take on your knees. And each step you pray and spend molto tempo li (much time there) on your knees until the person in front of your continues ... which is usually not for awhile. I take my rosary beads and pray a similar prayer each step. There are approximatey 15+ steps and each step I am in pain. My torn ACL that I do not want to get repaired, just yet, reminds me of pain, pain, pain. But I continue...

At the end of this experience I am reminded of when I, and my sister, did this two years ago and how great I felt afterwards. Today, I am telling some Australians in the neighborhood to try it out and am giving them directions to get to the scala. I tell them that it's great...but I'm not sure how much of it is great (I add when talking with them) because the painful experience is over (suppose to be painful simulating Christ's pain on the cross) or because it's an overwhelmingly great experience. I am honest with them. They comply and will try to go there, they tell me.

Then I am off to near the Colosseo. Here I encounter at Royal restaurant the most fun le ragazze (le donne) I have found in Roma. These women working at this restaurant are hilarious! I stand at the bar and order a white wine and they immediately change the music to Lily Allen. We start bopping to the beat until it changes to Lady Gaga, also a favorite of mine. Does life get any better than this, I think to myself, as I stare off into the distance at the Colosseo across the street?

It's funny to me what you miss most about the States when you are not there. For me it is people and music. Andrea, who I call buffo (funny) and am quick to be corrected is 'divertenti' (a better word for a person who is funny) ... loves 'Poker Face' by Lady Gaga, as do I. She dances in place, as do I, and we laugh. As I think...it's the little things in life that make it fun and tie us all together.

Little things are grand when you think of the troubles you've overcome. Minor troubles today included... I thought I was locked inside my appartamento because I had to figure out which of my three 5 inch long keys were going to release me from the four locks on my ancient door lock. I had to breath and not panic to figure this task out. Tutti e difficile. Then I went to class and everything that was said I had to review in my head several times before I knew what the assignment was, let alone how to do it correctly. Tutti e difficile. Aspetti, (wait)... then I thought I had locked myself in the bathroom, earlier, and that experience still haunted me. Anche, tutti e difficile. (I am forever getting locked in bathrooms. In ristorantes, in il mio appartamento or elsewhere.) Locks and me are not friends. But just before I panic the lock works. So, when I find the little pleasures in life that come easy, they are a treasure to me and I try my best to enjoy them!

Having a white wine and laughing with Andrea and some of her friends that work at Royal while looking at a copy of Michelangelo's work, his Judgement Day, on the restaurant walls. I think how great the little things in life are. I like the music, the Michelangelo copy, the company, understanding what the wait staff are saying about the tourists sitting outside and what they say about the neighborhood, 'Il Padrino.' Apparently, I get off easy as a non native by not 'recognizing' this gentleman. Next time, however, now that I know who he is...if I don't say buon giorno or recognize him as such, it could be curtains for me. I'll take my chances as I'm not sure I completely understood and translated this portion of our dialogue correctly. Ciao Padrino.

Until then it's a great life, I think, and cheers to you 'divertenti Andrea' and others like you that I have met. I am very lucky and thank the heavens again. A good prayer for la scala when I return for more pain.

Ciao tutti. A domani!