Same days. New hopes
3 grapes… 2 grapes… 1 grape. Happy New Year! I have met my 2021 internationally: one Lithuanian next to Italian table, listening to Latino songs, eating Mexican quesadilla, Turkish baklava and following the Spanish tradition to eat 12 grapes. Probably, just to be able to make twelve wishes. Honestly, there were a lot to wish for, but the main thing I needed was a hope of change, my own little pink glasses to see everything a bit more idealistic. The January was dedicated to that.
Despite the big hopes on the special night, the beginning of the month was slow and…same. A day was following a day with the same pale routine, cold air (I know, as Lithuanian I should not dare to say a word!) and dropping motivation. The only one thing that was changing, was my finger. No kidding! That buddy caught an infection, therefore, suddenly started to turn blue, violet, dark purple – all the colours of the sky, and not the ones you would like to see on your body.
Wrapped in my own fears and presumptions, I was postponing my visit to the doctor. “They are busy with the virus. Things here will be slow and it will take me ages. I do not even speak Italian well…” – I could find a hundred of reasons to avoid the visit and the chance to be healed. However, luckily, all people around me had a different opinion. When a lovely Italian girl said “I think you don’t want to lose your finger” and took me to a medical service, something has changed. And I am talking not only about the ability to bend my finger again.
If we can heal our bodies, can’t we heal our souls? In addition, when our souls are healthy, happy and open to the opportunities, good things are coming! There is no magic in there, a recipe is simple. Closing my eyes to the grey days and looking at them through those desired pink glasses – what do I see? In January I started to write my Italian adventures to Megafono, a local media, started to change my daily habits and live healthier, took creative writing courses, read so many articles about creativity, did a deep self-analysis, started seeing more people… I got what I was praying for, the hope of change. Moreover, I got the changes!
Now, counting the moments in pink, I see there were much more of them than those in grey. Probably, I was just blind to them. Now, as I am not blindfolded anymore, I would like to go far. Time to stop eating lemons, squeezing lemonade out of them or taking any other comfortable decision. If I like a lemon cake, now might be a perfect time to bake it! Even though it requires extra mile to go.
Little feet walk on the long road. Who knows, maybe eating 12 grapes back then really helped? Next year I will try lentils – let’s check Italian way to meet the luck.
