Learning to live. In so many ways.

Living in Italy is very different. Yet very much the same as living in Minnesota. For instance, I follow pretty much the same routine. In that I write. Daily. And I exercise. Daily. But I’m cognizant of the fact that I’m living in a foreign land. Where I don’t speak the native language. That limits me. To some extent. But I make up for it. By being more observant. And I take advantage of virtually every opportunity to communicate. In one way or another. I very much want to make my stay a learning experience. And I do it by capturing little things. By observing people. Just the way they look. And I use my imagination. I ask myself, could I be walking down a street in America? Yes, if I focus on actual people. They look just like Americans. The people I see on the street in Minnesota. But then I look around. At the architecture. At the flowers. And the trees,. And there’s a difference. Not the same as Minnesota. Yet, similar to other parts of America. When I look at the palm trees and the cacti. I can imagine being in Arizona. But I know better. Because Sardinia is much greener than Arizona. More wet. And Sardinia has a coastline. On the Mediterranean Sea. And no doubt about it, I’d rather be in Sardinia than in Arizona. Even when my Chicago Cubs go to Arizona for spring training. And I’m gradually cultivating the gumption to learn the Italian language. Not fluently. But enough to get by. I’m gonna load Rosetta Stone Italian language software. And start practicing daily. For a few hours. Even when I return to Minnesota. Because I’m planning on spending my winters in Sardinia. For many years. Maybe for the rest of my life. Yes, I want to become more a citizen of the world. I’ve been to Scotland. Iceland. Germany. France. Luxembourg. All in the past three years. I’m getting around. Seeing places. Meeting people. Connecting. Getting a feel for different cultures. Learning to live. Fully. Passionately. Fervently. Curiously. Lovingly. –Jim Broede