The Power House – Then and Now

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.