Left Unfinished

Today we leave Florence. It was our first place to live seasonally. Like the first taste of Bluebell Homemade Vanilla ice Cream, there was a sweet, overwhelming pleasure to Florence that may never be replaced. We must remember to not compare, but savor every location for its own unique sensory awakenings. Each place should be incomparable.

As we walked out of our apartment, the lady across the street was hanging out her freshly washed clothes and towels. She waved at us. Was that a wave good bye or hello? Only she knew. A wave, nonetheless, like the old man in Under the Tuscan Sun. This particular wave made me feel happy and reluctant to leave.

I turned to Carla and she was weeping. She was so deeply touched by this stay in Florence that it was particularly hard on her to depart.

It is, as if we are a work of Leonardo himself, as he departs Florence in 1482 for Milan. He leaves with the unfinished masterpiece, Adoration, showing new varying degrees of light and shade (as we learn to call it chiaroscuro). He is now the master painter, entering into the services of Ludovico Sforza in Milan.

Where do we stand in the mastery of living seasonally?

It’s hard to not compare one’s journey to a great fresco. Our life features stately grandeur, meticulous attention to detail, yet many surprises, an appreciation for science, proportion, but a sense of organic responsiveness to our home of Florence.

We leave with greater fluidity and sense of form. We have lived a bolder approach inspired by the classic Florentines.

Boarding the train, I recall MIchelangelo Buonarroti who lived to 89 years of age. He also left Florence, but returned seven years later to execute the David when he was a mere 29! Here’s a piece of art originally intended for the buttress in an unknown cathedral that ends up symbolizing all of Florence.

Aren’t we all a little like the most famous Florentine statue? A heroic youth symbolizing a challenge against our own internal Goliaths.

So long Florence. We leave like masterpieces unfinished. We will be back for you to complete us.