Sicily the end for now, Home and reflecting

You can view all the photos from the trip here.

I always like to write a small reflection for my travels. Usually I like to reflect on my experience verses the blessings I have as a citizen of the U.S.A. This trip I didn’t have many of those moments of contrast, not sure why but they were very few. Besides the basic luxuries of nicely paved roads, great WiFi and cell phone service, and all the 1st world amenities we as Americans take for granted, I didn’t see much that I missed during this trip. The hospitality that I received from my cousins early on just kept rippling throughout my entire vacation. That might be the point though, it was just a vacation, and as I expressed to a friend when I got back, if I was living in a foreign country beyond a couple weeks, I would quickly dislike all the rules and regulations they have infringing on your personal freedom and liberty. For example my friend from Calabria said that he has to report to the local police when he is renting an apartment, and his family is with him. These are old rules from previous fascism, something we as Americans pretend to understand, but so often ignorantly misuse.

Things I was grateful for, the food! This is something the U.S.A. gets so wrong now days, but it’s on a comeback, whole real organic foods, although that can be deceptive marketing sometimes. In Italy, it seems everything is organic, freshly made. There’s no need to advertise good stuff, it’s all authentic. Most of the time the pasta is homemade, not out of a box. As I learned with my cousins, nothing came from a can or a jar that wasn’t produced by them, or someone they know. The squid, lamb, lemons, fish and so many other items we ate, all were freshly produced locally, and cooked from farm to table. This is unheard of in America, unless you are from the country, something Sicily is very much so. As I looked around the country sides, I could understand why the mafia would hide in these remote locations, similar to modern terrorist who hide in the mountains of the Middle East. It’s very remote, quiet and for the most part peaceful, although it was weird to pass an anti-mafia installation, a sad reminder of one of many dark moments in a society that was failed by it’s government.

This is the world though, we all have bad parts of our history, individually and collectively. I didn’t encounter Italians complaining about their past (although i’m sure there are some, the Italians I know like to complain a lot lol), Sicily is rich with history of all sorts and they were just living life, because in the end, it’s life and the point is to enjoy life, experience it and love God growing through our experiences, something Italians are good at doing whether they are pagan, Christian or whatever, they always have honored some understanding of God (a higher being), which was brought to full understanding in the Catholic Church, merging with the pagan/Hellenist world during the time of Constantine, pre Italy times. Italy as we know it wasn’t formed until the 19th century.

I had many moments of temptation where I wanted to move here, when I heard that you could get property for a 1 Euro, similar to areas of Detroit and other cities in the states that are decimated by bad politics and economics. These are worthwhile incentives if you have the capacity to restart your life, and live minimally since it doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles of the big cities, it’s why they are basically giving land away, to re cultivate and inhabit these areas that have dwindled in numbers for whatever reason. It usually doesn’t come with the big city taxes either, a throw back to the Homestead Act days. It would be great. I know some Americans who have left their everyday lives in the states to start a bed and breakfast of sorts in Italy. There are plenty of castles and churches available for cheap, you just have to be willing to invest and restore them.

This about wraps it up for me, as I approach my 40th birthday, and thanks to a customer making the point, it’s the age Anthony Bordain was discovered. I am just trying to get really focused on my coffee experience business and I lack words of reflection at this point. It was nice to take a break from day to day and reflect on an authentic culture like Italy, but I miss my daily life and interactions at this point. Many have likened what I do, roaming around and sharing cultures in my Catholic faith and church to Anthony Bourdain. I respect that, I just hope that I can offer a light of hope, something Anthony unfortunately lacked in the end, which led him down a dark road despite having what many would consider the perfect job and life.

Pray for me that I may remain focused, encouraging others to be the best they were designed to be, inline with the designers will. Most of all pray that I persevere, it’s always easy when you are starting a new venture or business to be afraid of failure, which in the end just leads to giving up and never even trying. I’ve had a lot of early obstacles that are brewing content and frustration, but i’m trying to keep balance with God’s will, personal life and building a business which very often can easily conflict and go off course. In the end it’s the mistakes that help us grow and become better in the end, as Mark Roper would say. It’s like a video game, you fail, but you don’t give up, you learn and you try to move to the next level all the time without being discouraged.

In Palermo, they offered to take a picture of me in front of the tomb of St. Benedict the Moor. I am holding a box of holy cards I made for St. Benedict and placed on his tomb. It’s my way of bringing a little something back as a connection for all that I encounter along my travels. Below is a picture I took accidentally on the Turkish Stairs. I always like these pictures in the moment.