April 22, 2009

The up's and down's of English

Mio fidanzato italiano had the most frustrated reaction to the unnecessary idiomatic insertation of "up". We are "putting it everywhere!"

What's up? Oh, you're feeling down? Don't give up! Shut up! Are you warmed up? Cool down! Did you two break up? Can you make up? Did you put on your makeup? Get up! Time's up! What you up to? Do you feel up to it?


I told him to take it up with someone else. It's not my problem every language has its ups and downs.

Moments of Grace

My yoga teacher used to ask the class what we described as a "moment of grace"...I answered that it is when there is a moment in your life that makes you smile. It makes you smile because it a moment when you realize the continuous connections and circles in our lives to people, the past and ourselves. A moment of grace to me is when you can smile and appreciate a beautiful coincidence that presents itself in that moment.

For example...today I received the April letter from mio amore. Unsurprisingly, it made smile...but throughout the day I began to see the connections weaving Florence into my life. My italian music by Nada, Elisa e Tiziano Ferro played while I read his letter, and then subsequently I came across Julia's description of her visit to Florence. And then another reference to Florence came by gmail from an acquaintance there.

But the moment of grace that tied all of this together was when I read my favorite blog, www.melindagallo.com, and saw that the definition of giglio, which I had until now translated and understood as something else, a symbol I worship, I obsess over, I collect in any shape way or form and that I'd tattoo on my body before anything else if I were the type to get a tattoo, is translated as Lily.


This makes my sister's words resonate with me in a way they never have before.

"Her name is everywhere in this city and it makes me miss her like c-r-a-z-y. This is her city and it made me so sad and nostalgic that she wasn't there. It's almost like she belongs there more than Boston..."