The Colosseum - Panoramic View |
My heart was captured this weekend.
Captured by an ancient love for history, culture, food, and spirit. Rome has
been calling my name for years now, but I had never expected the welcome that I
received. Two steps out of the airport I was surrounded by beauty. People left
and right draped in high-end fashion that I could only dream of wearing. The
essence of them left me standing with my jaw to the floor. I’m not saying every
Roman walked as if they had the world at their fingertips, but the ones that did
made me feel as if they could conquer it effortlessly. The confidence they held
is not to be confused with cockiness, but instead, should be admired.
My favorite time of day was dinner.
My first meal in the ancient city consisted of a recipe just as old. This spaghetti
with marinara sauce was literally to die for; not kidding, I would have taken a
bullet for it. It amazes me how recipes so old that were passed down through
generations can still, to this day, be just as incredible.
Though my love for this city was
already growing rapidly, it was set in when I came upon the ancient ruins of
the Palantine Hill. I stood there in awe at the sight of this once “power house”
of a city that now is only rubble on the ground. Its memory, though, is as strong as ever.
The best part, though, was when I stood at the top of the hill and looked out
over the ancient streets and pictured men and women, alike, draped in beautiful
gowns. Chariots filled the streets and people from all ends of the land gathered
at the coliseum to see the gladiators fight for their lives. So much has
changed since the ancient times, but the people are still as lively and
passionate about their city as ever.
It reminds me of America, at its
best. We all come together at times of trouble, or celebration, but we lack the
everyday love for our country and the traditions we hold. We celebrate
Independence Day once a year and Memorial Day once a year, but what happened to
the days when everyone flew flags outside of their homes? How often do we say
the Pledge of Allegiance and actually mean it? We are given so much in this
country and don’t think twice about where it all came from and the struggle it
took to get us this far. In the book titled Strays, by Jeanne Webster, she
compares each person’s life to the stitching of a blanket. This concept can
even be applied to the USA. If you look on one side you see knots and tangles
of thread, but if you look from the other, all you see is the beautiful
pattern. If we always look at our country from the one side, we can never
witness it from above and see the beauty that it really is. I know this is a
very simple concept, but if we all just take a step back every now and then and
see all that this country has to offer, maybe we’ll begin to appreciate it a
bit more. After all, George Washington didn’t even expect this country to last
more than twenty years – two hundred thirty eight years later and we’re only
just getting started.