Too Much Candy

You know how when you are a kid and the candy tastes so good? So good you completely overdose on it?  You eat it and eat it and it's sweet and smooth going down until the stomach ache comes along?  Well, that's pretty much how Italy works.  It's this big beautiful dream full of ancient ruins, Tuscan rolling hills, amazing food. And for the first three weeks it's all that (minus the food part, it really isn't that great at all) and then all of the sudden you wake up and everything is barf.  You're sick.  Of the dirty streets, pee on the ground of every bathroom floor and still don't know how to flush the toilets, the smell of people who don't wear deodorant, and so utterly sick of all things with a tomato base sauce you would pay a million bucks for a jalapeno or some refried beans.

So we came home early.  I had amazing time with my kids and my mom and I am so glad I got it all out of my system.  I do not feel the need to move there any more.  In fact, you couldn't pay me that million bucks I bought the jalapeno with to even consider it.  This journey was a really good one for me.  I conquered a lot of things on this trip.  Planes, trains, automobiles and speaking Italian and figuring it all out made me stronger in a way that I know will carry over into a lot of other areas of my life.

Much of my life this last 18 months has been a private journey that at times felt like I got knocked down and would never get back up.  But I think I'm ready to stand up again.  And go eat some carne asada tacos with so much hot sauce it burns my mouth off and wash it all down with a Blue Moon.  I'm home.  And I think it feels that way for the first time in a long time.