The David and Other Joys.

Florence. There is a surprise cathedral around every corner.

During the train ride from Pisa, I realized that the language barrier has made me a little wary of diving headfirst into Italy like I did in Scotland. I'm afraid of getting stuck, or being misunderstood, or looking like a stupid tourist always. But something clicked on the ride... I was ready to not care about any of that. Suddenly everything rushing outside the window was magic--the Tuscan hills and dotted red roofs, the birds, and most of all the swaying trees that glittered silver. I still don't know what kind of trees they are, but I want to make the leaves into a necklace or something.

I love this time in my life. This figuring out and discovering and waking up... it is a violent and bursting joy.

San Lorenzo cathedral, in the (free) chapel for private prayer:

"Quando il Cristo, nostra vita, apparirà, allora anche voi apparirete con lui rivestiti di gloria."
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Today I saw Michelangelo's David. If a man-made object can embody perfection, this does it. Michelangelo was 26 years old when he started it. This is mind-blowing in itself, of course, but it hit me in a new way personally. Here was a man in a similar place in life, and here is his masterpiece: the potential energy of the pose, the passion of the gripping and loosening hand, and the intesity of the brow-- furrowed and READY. Waiting to be and do what he was meant for.

I stayed for over an hour... maybe close to two. The hall of the slave sculptures hit me in quick succession after the David; the contrast was remarkable. It's as if, after the glorious vision of his youth, Michelangelo began to understand the weight and despair of the human condition. There's a big debate about whether he meant to leave the sculptures unfinished... I say yes. The figures are trapped in the marble; they look like they're wrestling with it, partly hacked away but still horrifically bound.

And we're clambering to get back to the perfection of the David, or maybe crying out for even more.

Whew. I did not expect to be so profoundly moved. Today alone was pretty close to being worth the 40 Euro I paid for the "Friends of the Uffizi" pass.

On a lighter note, tomorrow I'm off for fun in the sun at the Cinque Terre with my friend Kate and her roommates. It's a cluster of towns on the coast, with hiking trails and amazing views all along the way. The trains need to NOT go on strike tomorrow, which is rumored to happen. Crazy Italians.

Speaking of Italians, a couple of days ago I was walking down the street and passed an older woman. I got several yards ahead of her and heard her calling after me; when I came back she started talking and pointing to her shoe, and I realized she wanted me to tie her shoelace! Ha! I could not have been more delighted.

The end.