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I started my week in Duomo, Milan, there is something about lovely traditional cities that take you back a hundred years and at the same time keep you in the present. Though my Italian is limited to 'Gracias', I enjoyed the feeling of anonymity that came with letting my hair down and just being me.
One hilarious experience was when I tried to order dinner in a restaurant,the entire menu was in Italian and the waiter did not understand any english. I tried speaking french, 'Parlez Vous Francais?' and he stared at me as if I was crazy. I am not kidding, I spent more than 30 minutes staring at the menu until finally the cook came out and helped me choose. I must add that the restaurant was very nice, I had a complimentary glass of champagne, canapé's and baked oysters...delicious!
However, you cannot fault Italians when it comes to Olive Oil, they put it on bread, in salads, in every dish and some even drink it. I know Olive oil is nice but I found it nauseating after two days. They also specialize in making fish, I ate steamed sea bass with salt, it was fantastic.
By Thursday I was back at work in London and ready to tackle my in-tray. I got home thursday evening had an early supper and went to bed by 8pm. Around 9pm I got a phone call from a friend saying Michael Jackson was dead. I jumped out of bed and ran to put the TV on, I stayed awake for the next 30 hours hoping, wishing and praying the news was not true.
Over the past three days all newspapers/channels have been filled with life stories of Michael. Personally, I wish that people had shown him just half of the support they are showing now when he was alive. I read a quote from him that brought tears to my eyes 'I'm one of the loneliest people on this earth. I sometimes cry because it hurts.' It is so sad that so many people go through life alone though they are surrounded by friends.
If there is something I have learnt this week, it is, show those you love how you feel whenever you have the opportunity. Nothing is gained from being two-faced or deceitful. At the end of the day, we cannot carry our worldly possessions into the grave. Our footprint would be the memories we leave behind and the lives that we affect positively. Two thoughts I can't get out of my mind: Did Michael have the peace of God as he died and Did he know that he was loved? No one would know the exact answers to these questions.
All in all, my week started on a high note and ended with a sour taste. I tried brightening it up a little by taking stock of my life and being grateful for where I am and what I have achieved. I am going to leave you with this quote: 'Enjoy where you are art on the way to where you are going' by Joyce Meyer. Most times we complain about alot of things, and forget that every journey starts with a step.
Take a deep breath, smile and stop worrying, everything will be okay; God is in control!
