Dear members and aspiring members of Ciancia,
I have been asked to return to my editorials. Here is my essay upon some reflections, which might have saved a somber 2010, and set the tone for 2011.
The holidays have just passed, and I hope that at some point, a sense of joy and appreciation for being healthy and alive got a hold of you. With luxury and opulence out of the picture, the shopping for “the right gift”, the cooking and the cleaning, got greatly simplified this year, even if some formal obligations remained alas inevitable. The only noticeable difference this year was that an increased awareness shifted our attention to smaller things that seemed unimportant yesterday.
I have managed to elude serious thoughts, especially since the year that just passed kept me tied to my chair, dealing with demanding individuals, stupid lenders, rampaging taxes and insurance premiums, trying to make ends meet. But today is one-one-eleven – not to mention, our next meeting is taking place on 11-1-11 – interesting numeric concurrences. I am not into numerology, but I glanced at the calendar to make sure that 2010 was gone: thank you very much! Any minute of the new one feels like a moment of rebirth, doesn’t it? 2010 was too serious. I have never tried so hard to remember earlier years, of times when I was satisfied with what I did and did not feel as if I had left a stone unturned. I had my share of chasing my own tail… managing to remain sober and alert, thanks to industrial quantities of coffee I introduced in my system – mostly Illy and Lavazza. Bless Italian concoctions!
Miraculously, I made it through the rough – with a few bruises and scratches here and there. I am here, well caffeinated, to tell you my side of the story, with nothing broken, except my Cuisinart bowl, which on December 31 decided to end a honorable 25-year career, flying off the counter as if animated by its own will. It went out with a glamorous bang, having just produced the best lentil soup I have ever made – Italians eat it on Capodanno to bring good fortune and money – well, we will see about that! I always wondered why my grandma’s and my mother soups tasted better than mine. I figured it out accidentally: it takes thirty years to refine the recipe. Here is where I got the first clue of the year: good things take a long time to come to fruition. I also figured out that nothing lasts – though you may buy spare parts…
The second clue came from the sweetest card I received from my daughter, stating as follows: “Christmas is not about the toys, it is about LOVE. And I love my sister too, even if she bugs me all the times” – well, I was supposed to omit the latter statement, but I thought it was funny, for it reminds me that my sister – a perfect adult – still bugs the broccoli out of me. That was the second clue: life tends to repeat its annoying patterns. Here is the transposed clue: you may be fooling yourselves, you year-end-resolution-fanatics with your long lists, for if your body wants to plump up, good luck convincing it otherwise! Instead of strict rules, like running a three-mile lap a day, or stop eating sweets, try spending more time with your loved ones. Want to impart a new direction to your life? Add to your list learning a new language or perfecting your Italian. And, for your fixations, write reminders and stick them all over the place: you’d be smiling and, hopefully, signs will enter your recalcitrant head. Forget ending wonderful habits such as indulging with good food and chocolate: they are divine means designed to take your mind and spirit off the boring routine. I agree, they may take your body places where you don’t want it to go. If you haven’t figured it out, indulging in anything is a form of transcendence called “depression management and administration” – too bad Wall Street doesn’t issue a stock of it.
Still, you must wonder whether difficulties bring good deeds. Haven’t you noticed that we have been turning back toward simple things, such as a conversation with a friend, sipping a cup of coffee in perfect silence, reading the paper front to back, taking long walks, writing a letter to a friend, donating shoes, coats and blankets to the poor? Here is the final lesson, perhaps the only lesson of an otherwise dubious 2010: joy comes from simple things! This may explain why a renewed spirit of camaraderie, conviviality and optimism has pervaded our club this past year. One hundred and seventy five people gathered at our Christmas party in grand celebration. It was Ciancia at its best! Question: was such unbridled enthusiasm fostered by a tougher world? I shall leave that conclusion to you.
In the end, it all boils down to what we do about it. Want to play your part with our club? Tell your friends about us. Hit our page on Facebook and subscribe to it, and, don’t forget to make a sincere effort to speak Italian at our meetings. It will grant identity and long life to our club. To those who may question a bulletin written in English, let me remind you that we are reaching over a large and diverse community: English is a sign of respect to our numerous beginners, and that is, until they cross the door of our meetings! Education is at the core of our mission, but fear not: if you are not completely conversational, your intent means a great deal to us. We are a family with wide arms and we intend to keep it that way.
I hope that this message reaches you in the best of spirits.
Auguri di un felice anno nuovo! Yours, Arturo Giancarlo Pirrone