Are You Ready?

                                         Mike in Pettorano, 2011

"'Are you ready?' Klaus asked finally.

'No,' Sunny answered.

'Me, neither,' Violet said, 'but 

if we wait until we're ready we'll be waiting 

for the rest of our lives. Let's go.'"

~ Lemony Snicket (from The Ersatz Elevator)

Over the past year, we've experienced the deaths of a number of friends, acquaintances, a few classmates, and one of my cousins.  Each time, we've had a bit of a conversation about how one never knows what the future holds and that Mike's early retirement is enabling us to travel and do things before we get to the point that we either can't or don't feel like doing them any longer.  (Did that make sense?  ;-)  )

I've mentioned to a few friends that, at times, I tend to get upset with myself for not pursuing my writing earlier . . . for not pursuing a university professorship when I was in my 30s . . . for not realizing the importance of my grandparents' immigration years ago . . . Oh, I know. I know. We all have things we don't do because of the obligations or limitations – familial, monetary or employment.  Still, I think we regret putting them off or forgetting about them.

I do realize, though, that I am lucky that what I put off once I now get to do.  I am fortunate to be able to fulfill a lot of dreams.  I appreciate the fact that Mike is game for these wild and crazy adventures of mine.  I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to share the time with him.  I tell him my heart is full, and he laughs and says it sounds corny, but . . .

Two months from this minute, from right now as I write this, we'll be on a plane bound for  La Avventura Grande* (or should I say La Grosse Aventure* since we start in France?). That seems so far away, yet it's so close.

Am I ready?  Are we ready?   I guess we'll see.

(* In Italian, The Big Adventure translates to La Avventura Grande. In French, it's La Grosse Aventure. I just have to comment on the fact that the Italian sounds so much better, a GRAND adventure.  If you translate it back to English, La Avventura Grande comes back as The GREAT Adventure.  The French La Grosse Aventure sounds, well, gross. . . no offense to any of my French friends.  La Grosse Aventure translates back to The Big Adventure, so that's okay.  I just can't get the gross picture out of my mind when I read or say it in French, though.  :-)  )