Home for the holidays

The following excerpts are from the introduction to a guidebook to Rome, written by Fred Plotkin...verified every time I return.

There is a particular malady-not quite an illness but more of a chronic condition that afflicts anyone who has ever visited Rome. In fact, it is an immediately recognizable ache shared by all who suffer from it.  Perhaps it began when you turned your back to the Trevi Fountain and flung your arm high over your head to launch an old hundred lira to ensure you would return to the eternal city once again. The little twinge you still feel, your Roman ache, is there to remind you that there exists a place where life is lived to the fullest.

The secret to doing as the Romans do is to awaken your own dormant humanity.

And everywhere in Rome there is something gorgeous and often timeless to touch.

He said it, I'll vouch for it and for one further quote, paraphrased...you can search all your life trying to discover that one elusive thing...one's self. It's in Rome.

My return is approaching, my anticipation growing, my hopes returning. The phrase,"To do Rome", is a slur. After many visits I have seen a great number of the "major sites" and so many more of the "lesser" ones. Each trip has been magical, better than the last so I always expect nothing but joy. And, I have never been disappointed.

This trip will put me where I belong, when I really need to be there and among so many wonderful friends that make me feel included and valued. Perhaps I will be able at some point to show some of them the beauty we take for granted. The Southwest, the Pacific Coast, the Rockies...perhaps.

I have started my countdown and now I will wait while "time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future.