Last observations.

*Buying delicious Italian wine, grown in the region, not for export, leaving you with nary a headache in the morning, and costing less than 4 euros a bottle, is beyond wonderful.

*Preparing your own feast, with local products, bought at individual shops (macellaio/butcher; vedura/vegetable; pasticceria/bakery) in any hilltown you come upon,knowing that pointing at what you want, if the word in Italian can’t be retrieved, is met with a smile and the word supplied, all this at no extra charge.

And happening upon local ceremonies . Since we could not determine, from anyone, what this particular ceremony was about, I thought it aptly dubbed, by my friend David, to be the
Procession of Our Lady of the Upholstery. Worked for me.

Linda’s wrong about the Capri and God thing, Umbria is where he/she summers.

*Ciliege (cherries) picked and eaten directly from the tree is almost a religious experience. Should I make this an R rated blog…hmmm, maybe not.

*I actually am convinced that I speak Italian. I arranged with a local merchant to have someone pick truffles for us, and we would purchase them from her, on Friday. Alternatively, I may have let her know I am joining a convent.

*I have become incredibly adept at washing down the walls of every bathroom I have been in since I have never mastered, or frankly understood, the concept of a hand held shower and no shower curtain.

*Another point for the acrophobic team. There is a funicular that takes people from the Ferry to the top of the Isle of Capri. It runs on a track, not the swinging in the wind, oh my god I am going to die, why would they suspend you over a great crevice, type of funicular.

*You know that you are the only American on the local bus when everyone else sits calmly while you are making deep inhaling noises, willing the bus to be narrower as it barely makes it past other cars, pedestrians, or other non stationary objects. This is also why most Italians are very slim hipped.

*The most extraordinary flora exists here. The soil is so fertile that a broomstick plunged into the ground would sprout baby broomsticks.

* Capri, once you are off the main drag (which is East Hampton, Palm Beach or Bar Harbor on Steroids) is extraordinarily beautiful. My friend Linda said “if God’s home is in New Zealand, he summers in Capri.”

*If you have curly hair any type of gel is a no no. It works like a moisture magnet rendering you a sorry imitation of a poodle also having a bad hair day.

*Americans wear bikinis and one piece bathing suits. Everyone else, no matter what shape they are in, wear bikinis. Topless is almost always the additional option. Amendment then, they wear mono-kinis.

*The effects of being really “TAN’ apparently has not made it to the Amalfi Coast, but neither has “smoking is bad for you.”

*Mozzarella made in Italy bears no resemblance to Mozzarella in the States.

*The Tyrrhenian Sea has no waves.

ciao per oggi.

Si, sono in Italia, adesso. Yes, I am in Italy, now.

*If you think, know, or are convinced, you are an acrophobic and haven’t been to/driven up/down the Amalfi Coast because you were told that without being tethered to a wall you would have cardiac arrest, don’t listen to them. I am here to tell you that the 2 or so foot wall that runs the length of the drive is high enough to keep any concerns of hurling yourself, or being hurled, down into the sea,  a non event.

*The Italian men are quite beautiful. While they take preening to new heights, they can and should.

*The Italian women are, too, beautiful. But a phenomenon occurs here. One day they enter their homes, only to emerge, shrunken and swathed in some form of a dark house-dress, wearing sensible laced shoes.

*When you ask Italians for directions they have an expression, “sempre dritto” which means go straight on. Short of being medi-vac’d to your destination you learn to ask, “quanti minuti” how many minutes, instead.

Ciao per oggi.

My British friend Liz (how International am I?)  commenting on my post, School Redeux, said "Equally as perplexing is to pull a book off a shelf and look at the underlining that you did 30 or more years ago. Why did that particular line of Doris Lessing or Germaine Greer seem so challenging? Or the margin notes that you scribbled? What was your younger self thinking? It is almost as much of a revelation as looking at old photographs! Aside from her impressive literary picks of 30 years ago (are you impressed?) I thought that the idea of revisiting what we chose to wear, way back when, was worth a comment or two.

And, much to my horror, the Times Style section highlighted a look that made absolutely no sense to me way back when, so WHY would they revisit it now?
All in Knots do you remember it?

Fringe, to me, should be the reserved for the edges of pillows, curtains and rugs. As for clothing, not so much. Macrame, while a creative and interesting Art form, had limited attraction as clothing.

Unless, of course, you were interested in playing peek a boo with your various and assorted body parts. Really, how strategically can one place a knot?

The essay in the Atlantic magazine was "What Makes Us Happy?"  a fairly provocative title, I thought, so I read on. After all, aren't we all searching to find "happy."

This  essay, written by Joshua Wolf Shenk,  reported the results of a longitudinal study of 268 men, begun in the '30's, who were, then, sophomores at Harvard.  They have been (as reported by David Brooks in an op-ed column in the Times, They Had It Made) probed, poked and measured ever since.

I suspect, considering that these were males, and Harvard students no less, your immediate reaction would be how skewed the results might be. My sentiments, too. But the scientist's insights into the human condition, led by its longtime director George Vaillant, ultimately negated this concern, for me.

So then, what makes us happy?

There's good news. Here are some out takes. You will, no doubt, come up with other insights, if you opt to read the essay.

-Life improves between the ages of 50-75. Negative unhealthy behaviors start to diminish. (You should ask your children to validate this)

-Valliant's concept of "Healthy Adaptations" is discussed. These include altruism, humor, anticipation, suppression and sublimation. And if your therapy is working, you have a handle on these….

-Regular exercise

-Relationships and warm connections (siblings, friends, mentors, relatives…not only Mom and Dad) whew!

-Cholesterol levels at 50 have nothing to do with health in old age. Really?

-Age 25-35 is the toughest for just about everyone. Got that one right.

and lastly, direct insights from Valliant-

-Aging is a lot less scary than people think it is.

-Happiness is about playing and working and loving. And loving is the most important of them all.

-Happiness is love.  

So then……

Are you happy? Are you on your way to happy? Considering what to do to be happy?

Pouring a glass of red wine?

Wondering who really thinks that aging is less scary than people think it is.

And lastly, thinking you will never say to your kids, "Are you happy, now?" in the same tone, with the same voice you have used throughout their life.