A Perfect Day?

I didn't know what time of the day I had. As I waited for the kettle to boil, I switched on the television. A loud startling snap took me by surprise. I remembered, she had told me not to plug in any two appliances at one time. Had I blown a fuse? I wrapped the cord of my long cotton robe tightly around my body and made my way down the two flights of worn stone medieval steps of the Uffizi apartment in search of the main fuse box. After much huffing and two trips up and down I managed to get the electricity back on. Marveling at this feat and realizing I had no idea how I had accomplished it. Sipping my tea I read through the information binders again. The morning was wearing on, time was ticking by. It dawned on me I was delaying.  I was afraid? I was afraid to venture out the door? My courage and determination seemed to have deserted me. How would I find my way around? Where would I go, what would I do. What made me think I could spend ten days in Florence all by myself? It was all so easy in planning, but now what? Finally I called myself to order. It was time to stop blubbering. Take a bath, get dressed and start living your dream, I chided myself.

The refreshing bath did its magic, alleviating my fears and nervousness. I was ready to take on the world. Until I encountered my next obstacle. I was unable to remove the bath stopper, resulting in frustrated tears. Heat started to slowly inch up my neck and face. Why are these simple tasks always so difficult for me? Sweat was gushing from every pore now. So much for my relaxing bath... Wrapped in an oversized bath towel I padded downstairs to get a butter knife. Maybe if I could get the knife under the seam of the stopper, it would come up. The only thing I succeeded in doing was having another hot flash. Another bath was needed. Maybe a sewing needle would do the trick. There was one in the vanity drawer. I abandoned this idea. The needle would probably break in my hand and do me damage. I didn’t want to end up in an emergency room on the first day of my Grand Adventure. I was getting nowhere. It was time to walk away from the full bathtub and in true Scarlet O’Hara fashion; I declared, I would think about it tomorrow. Well later anyway.

My first day had not started well. I had struggled with the keys. Blown the fuses and I spent half the morning peering into the fuse box, praying for divine intervention. Adding to my woes was the unpluggable bath!

I had to shake it off. Taking a deep breath, I walked out the door, slamming it firmly behind me. Things could only get better! The first morning of living my dream had been a frustrating one. It had reduced me to tears and foul language more than once. But when I walked out onto the street the glories of the city surrounded me. I needn't have worried, whatever direction I turned, I would be heading in the right direction. I spent my first day in Florence, just walking, soaking in my surroundings. I had made it. I was finally here. It was a perfect day after all.