I'm Turning 48 and I've Finally Found HOME

Happy birthday to me! I'm another year wiser and another year happier in my life in Italy.

I was thinking the other day how I've lived in some beautiful places (Arkansas, Orlando, San Diego) but no place made me as happy as Calabria has made me.

I realized that, for the first time, I'm not thinking about the next place I want to live. I'm completely happy rooted where I am.

And that's huge.

What Does "Home" Mean to You?

Interesting question. One I'm finding my response to as I write. For me, home feels like a fit. It's a place I can be myself (something that has taken me these three years), and where I want to be.

After I got divorced, I started solo travel, primarily to Italy. It became my drug; as soon as I'd come back from a trip, I'd start planning my next trip.

I've barely traveled since moving to Italy. It used to bother me, but now I realize it's because I'm finally happy where I am, and I don't have that need for a fix of different places.

Travel, for me, lets me see different ways of living. Different languages. Different cultures. Well, I get that every day living in Davoli!

So, home is where I want to be. After coming back from my surgery in Rome, all I wanted was to be home. After a long weekend of family time, I long for our couch.

I take pride in all the work we've put into getting our home just right after the move. I know the house is more "me" than Fra, but he loves it. I always say: entering my home is like stepping into my brain. You get who I am simply by experiencing all the art, books, and color.

It's Also About the People

I've had wonderful people in my life everywhere I've lived. I still keep in touch with a friend I made when Max was in preschool in Orlando (I'm even staying with her on an upcoming visit!). I formed a sisterhood of friends in San Diego. And here, I'm building a new Italian family that makes me feel welcome.

Being a foreigner isn't something to take lightly. It has a tremendous impact on your mental health and stress level. But having people who want to help you makes it so much better. My loved ones (both here and the US) can't truly understand what it's like for me, being an American in Italy, but they love and accept me just the same.

So on this birthday, rather than making wishes for the future, I'm going to give gratitude for where I am. Home. Exactly where I was meant to be!