Tutto a posto, it is all okay, it is all in place. It was a simple question I was asked repeatedly as I worked to move into my new home. There were two big reasons for moving, one was that my previous house was too grand, the other was it was too expensive. When I say too grand that has two meanings that were both quite true, it was large and it was of a style that was elegant. With a large salon, a huge master bedroom and luxurious bath that all reflected a fashion of opulence, it wasn’t quite me. The tiny kitchen and the second bedroom with a window that faced a wall also noted that those things that weren’t luxuries, weren’t important did not fit well with my soul, it felt very out of place for me. To top it off it was out of my price range for living there for any length of time.
The joy of the place was my amazing neighbors, who are so fun, I still visit them almost daily, it is thank God a small town. Another joy was playing with the luxuries, such as rendering fabulous bubble baths in the opulent bath complete with music and singing, and my fave, camping on the terrazzo. The rooftop terrace was fairly private with an amazing view of the valley, quite, quite grand, and for me a perfect place to camp. On hot days in the top floor apartment, I could always rest assured that sleeping under the stars was a possibility, with a tent that would make any 5 year old proud, a blanket for a roof and drag up an extra mattress and I was good to go.
It was an apartment that didn’t quite fit me, but it worked well with the sweet people around me, but it was time to move on. In previous writing I spoke of the difficulty for me to move from house to house, I end up a nervous wreck, and was touched in the midst of this move when a friend asked how I was, because I looked nervous. The moving seemed to drag on, partly due to a cleaning process that was unusually long due to the fact that the home had been empty for years, and that there was additional maintenance such as paint and plumbing that needed to be attended to by people other than myself, it was both a work and wait process, thus came the question, “tutto a posto?” my friends wanting to know if all was in place yet, but even deeper, was I okay.
As eager as I was to be done, so were my friends, who could see my stress in the face of moving. Once it was finished I took some time to look back on the process, and be thankful for friends who took the time to notice how my face reflected my feelings, and my neighbors who were so amazingly supportive and giving, literally giving me housewarming gifts or providing me with things I needed such as a bed and dishes. I had plenty of food and support to make the move just that much easier and the ever present cheer: tutto a posto?
All during the time leading up to the move, to the moving process itself and in the 2 weeks following I was preparing for my cressima and first communion in the Catholic church. It is only now that I have really had time to rest and think about the space of being tutto a posto, with these two big things behind me. Yesterday when our priest asked how I was, I said tired, it was a busy 6 weeks and I suddenly found myself tired. I realized in the reflection that there never is a time of tutto a posto, when all is okay, when all is in place, for in the follow up to the moving there is now time for canning of fruits and vegetables, of preparing my new home for winter.
Following the cressima and first communion comes the preparing for the wholeness of life within this new culture of church I have chosen to embrace. Within this small town there are neighborhoods and I have moved to a new neighborhood, it will take time to settle in, the knowing that it is a small town and I will see my old neighbors daily comforts me in this time of change. In the new church commitment I find new expectations, and new opportunities, and for me I am leaning on the wisdom of the priest who heard my first confession and offered these words: “You have done much, lived much in a very short life, it is time to slow down. Don’t rush, just pray and live.”
My new home is a good place to do this, it is more than economical, it is cozy with the great heart of the home being a fabulous kitchen, that one reaches through the sweet entry room. For me a great metaphor for life; a welcoming entry into a warm heart and all else will fall into place, in time. My sitting room is not quite ready yet, or my closet in the bedroom, there is work yet to be done. Tutto a posto, by definition no, it is not all in place, but all is okay, all is right with the world, Thanks Be to God!
When or How do you feel all is okay, or in place?
How do you feel knowing and being in life when things seem out of place?
How can you rest with God in all times when things seem in or out of place?
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