2011 has ended much differently than it began for me.
A year ago, I had not planned to resign from my comfortable job in a European School because of the inability of its administration to handle a call for jobs with transparency and dignity.
A year ago, I had not planned on receiving a direct “No” from the city planning office of Levanto to our project to build a small house and working farm in their depopulated hills.
A year ago, I had not planned to say, Fuck it, let’s all make the move anyway to Levanto, while the girls are still young.
A year ago, I had not planned to open a travel consultancy and tour operator agency for foreigners in the Cinque Terre.
And yet, all those things have happened. And the balance at the end of 2011 is that we are all happier, healthier, and more full of ideas and creativity than we were a year ago.
I often hear my students complain that if they don’t travel now, or try this now, or do that now, they never will. I have always tried to explain to them that life is long, and that at the age of 18, you can’t go around already excluding yourself from future adventures. And 2011 has been the proof of it for my family. There is no end to the number of times that you can take a plunge into something different, revolutionize your life, strike out on a new path. Whether you are 18 or 58.
Happy new year, y’all.
