My multilegged minuscule friend is back!

A miracle. He lives in the corner of the window facing north. Outside. He rolled his little body so tight, preparing for the winter, that he looked like half the size of a pea. I checked on him regularly, always there.

Some days the sun was out for a few hours and the air was nicely warm. I hoped to see him but he didn't open up.

I often thought of him wondering how he survived with no food (insects are all gone over the winter months), cold, lonely, Then I realized that his idea of  life is different from mine and that he certainly was perfectly happy doing he small spider winter things.

I have a confession to make: I forgot all about him (her?!) for a few weeks. Isn't it awful that one can forget a friend? Someone who managed to weave the most beautiful web strategically positioned to cover his butt and face the sun, who didn't scream at me when by mistake someone decided to clean the window (not me, no way, clean?) and destroyed his web. I thought he was gone and would never come back. But then there he was, a small web, enough to sit in the center of and wait for his lucky moment.

Winter, snow, wind. He always managed to make himself even smaller and stick to the corner of the wooden frame around the window.

Then...I didn't see his little body anymore. I put on my best glasses, I used a magnifying lens, I moved what was left of his web. No sign of my friend.

I started talking to myself, trying to keep some tears back. How could I dream that such a minute creature was meant to survive through a winter at 7000 feet? Why would he, just because I befriended him, be the only one in the world to survive? That's life, I have to accept it. After all there was no web left. Goodbye sweet one!

Today was one of those days when all my friends and business contacts decided to call me or Skype me. I had to send a really important text off to some people abroad. Kitties were still without any food. I had to book an adventure in California before leaving. I managed to have breakfast, wash up, get dressed in 15 minutes. Ready for the lecture I wanted to attend. A record, you will agree.
Ready, out of the door. Lock...and...OMG....there he was....sun tanning! The web is magnificent, all back as before.

I managed to take a picture to post here. He is such a weird thing. I call it a spider, he could well be something from another planet! But he is amazing! It looks like he has to tiny horns, a lot of  hair(legs?) falling down loose from his tiny body. He is funny, strange, silent, and sturdy!

I am so excited to have him back. It's a miracle. Miracles happen, don't they? I hope he can get some food soon and put on some wait.

Thank you little creature for staying with me!



This blow-up reveals a monster...help!!!!!!!

L'Uovo di Colombo...not such a good idea

I will be short: my idea didn't work. I should have known, really! Trying to put together an international business approach and a manana laid back "it will be all right" idea of business was plain wrong. It didn't last. The end.

From now on I won't announce my big ideas anymore! I will just do.

I am at a point in my life where I don't feel like explaining things. We are either made of the same cloth, or not.

Freedom!

L'Uovo di Colombo

Blog n.51!!! Beginning of a New Era?

How I came to a brilliant but obvious solution.
I was inspired by Cristoforo Colombo, whose reputation is now slightly tarnished, but his problem solving technique of finding an unexpectedly simple solution to a problem that seemed impossible is still a good one.

Colombo breaks the egg by William Hogarth

You can read the "real" story of the egg at the bottom of this page. I don't have an egg issue (had 2 this morning at breakfast though!!) but a life issue. To stop (working) or not to stop? Someone may remember that in my previous blog I said that I now want to live by choice rather than by habits. True. Not always easy though!

I finally chose to continue working, but not totally. Not as before! I want to have more time to play/read/wander around. But no, I can't let go of all the work I have done and, yes, the passion for this land is still there. If only I could avoid learning about the too many horrible things that humankind is doing to destroy it...but let's keep smiling for the time being, okay?!!

And here comes the egg!

I need someone to complement me in my work! (Merriam-Webster:  something that fills up, completes, or makes perfect) Exactly!

Someone with experience, with an independent spirit like mine, who is enthusiastic about life in general.

Bang! The egg hit my mind and I called her. Deal! We have a plan and we know how to share the work.

The new Seven Directions is called (changes may occur, check the website in a month!)

SEVEN DIRECTIONS | Travel Consultant

Hand Made Travel Concepts and Programs 

Personally Crafted by Patrizia (beautiful photo!)

Turnkey programs are provided in conjunction with an established travel agency.

The big change is that I feel free, which means that I'm not compelled to accept to work with whomever calls me. I can say no!!!

I can often tell from the first hello if the person is one I want to work with or not. I learned this through all my consulting over the millennia!

Unbelievably, since the decision has been reached, the phone began ringing: Canada, Italy, France, US...yeiiii!! 

Now I need a really nice picture, any photographer with touch-up skills out there????

Note: the white background is not my idea, I don't know how to fix it and I don't think it matters. Do you??? 

L'Uovo di Colombo:

The origin of this phrase is a popular, probably false anecdote, which has the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus as its protagonist. After his return from America in 1493, Columbus was invited by Cardinal Mendoza to a dinner in his honor. Here some Spanish gentlemen tried to downplay him, saying that the discovery of the New World would not have been so difficult and that anyone could do with proper means. Hearing this, Columbus was angry, and challenged the Spanish nobles in what seemed an easy enterprise: make an egg stand upright on the table. Each of them made several attempts, but none succeeded and they gave up, convinced it was an insoluble problem, and begged Columbus to show a solution. Columbus tapped the egg gently on the table breaking it slightly and the egg stood upright. When bystanders protested, saying that they could do the same too, Colombo said, "The difference, my friends, is that you could have done it, but I did."



 

January 1st, 2015

I really like the first day of the year. The other two days I also like are March 21st, beginning of Spring (and my wedding!) and August 19, my birth day.
It's all about beginnings, coming alive, starting again, hoping.

So today is the day to reach out to you all to

wish you an exciting year if you want to make it so

 

and to begin writing again here after too many months of silence. It's been an interesting 8++ months, bad and good, filled with fears and happiness. Just life stuff that has been useful to bring me where I am today: happy!


When I started this blog my intention was to bring you on some of my travel adventures and discoveries. I wanted to share the emotions that this land can unexpectedly bring out. I also happen to get carried away by memories and feel the urge to write them down. 
Today you have to allow me to change somewhat because I feel I have to tell you something about where I am as Patrizia 

and not as a traveler.

Ready?
BACKGROUND
We are living in a complicated world that at times feels on the brink of explosion, or, better, implosion. This makes a lot of us feel unsettled, angry, powerless, revengeful, hopeless, lost. I did actually feel exactly that way.

On a more personal level, at the end of a very unusual time for me when I felt extremely uncomfortable both with myself and with the whole world, near and far, followed by another period where the world seemed to smile to me and tell me how much love was all around me, I had to stop and ponder.

Santa Fe offers the best atmosphere for this sort of meditating mode in which one can surrender without fear to be ridiculed or laughed at. So, I'm lucky! I recommend to consider coming here if you need to change gear!

PROCESS
Some key points I reached through my thoughts:

• I am a very lucky person despite the many challenges I hade to live through
• I was able to change my life by choice which opened several doors for me that I could decide to walk through or not. I did.
• I experienced new ways of going through life and I began living by choices rather than by habits.

Despite the enormous number of negative and often horrendous things around me and us all, finally my view on the world changed from "to destroy" to "there is something...well kind of...maybe...good at the end of the tunnel".

• But it was up to me to see the light rather than the dark side of everything, the beautiful human beings rather than the criminals and crooks. It is hard to do this, often too hard, but there is hope.

RESULTS

• In short, I chose to be happy which represent the beginning for being a better person. If you are happy you are more available, you listen to other ideas with an open mind, you want to join other people to do things together, things you believe in and they too. Think about it and tell me if you agree.
  

• I also realized that it's a question of time. If one wants to open up to the world, be available for others, learn from others, read, meet new people, be active in the community, well he or she must make sure to free up some time! And not be dead tired at the end of the day. Without time and good spirit one can't experience anything beyond the personal life routine. Hence...I had to stop working. This was a huge decision for me, a workaholic with 50+ years of 24x7, and 10-15 hours of actual working time a day.

At the same time I decided to quit smoking. Excruciating experience... and it's not over!!!

HUMAN FACTORS (indecision)
I stopped working and I didn't, I cancelled some contracts to then find new ones. This went on for a while until I felt stupid! At this point my only choice was to listen, as I always do when I'm lost, to my guts  It is amazing how quickly it kicks in to help you! Once you have a goal or an idea, your gut instinct begins to lead in the direction one needs to go in order to accomplish the task he or she has set out to complete.

EXTERNAL HELP
Don't be shy, I was telling myself, reach out to people around you, your friends, they may say a word that hits your imagination, or your heart, that prompts a reaction and BANG you see clear in front of you! I felt drawn to conversations with people I would not normally speak with. It's been a great experience.

WHERE I AM TODAY
This may sound all too easy but I can't tell you the step by step process I went through because it wouldn't be that interesting for you! I can tell you the conclusion of my search: I don't stop but I change the focus.

In a nutshell, Seven Directions will be a travel consulting company with........No, I can't continue, so sorry! I must make sure I know what exactly my business will change into and what my new adventure partners' final dreams are. I'm sure about mine!

The first day of the year is coming to an end.  I did what I planned to do including a walk on an unusually empty Canyon Road and through Patrick Smith Park breathing deep the crisp and pure air.

A good first day. I am happy.

Departures

It's that time when one can let go of all the stresses, to do lists, anticipation: it's now! Lock the door behind you and off you go!
This is probably one of the reasons I ended up in the travel business. Because it doesn't matter to me if I am leaving with a group on a long tour or with friends on a weekend jaunt. It is the unknown that is exciting.

I remember when I left on a first class flight (first and only time!) offered by Singapore Airlines to join their top managers for a meeting on Public Affairs. Actually I was so concerned about the business that I didn't quite take full advantage of that luxury. But I ended up in a cockpit used for training, wow! That other time when I went for my Christmas vacation to Burma for the first time (I hate the new name Myanmar!) -it was the year 2000- where I met a group of women with whom I'm still friend after many years.

Bagan, year 2000

And when alone I drove up the Black Mountains looking for quilts (I was so terrified that I took a one way road on the wrong direction that was only for trucks!).            

On all these occasions I had no idea of what the trip was going to be, what kind of people I was going  to meet or travel with, next to whom I was going to be sitting for hours on the plane. Every single time I met interesting people I thought I would never forget, but of course I did. But not all. For some small details -a comment, a gesture- they stay in my memory and appear from time to time in my mind to say hello.

Once I was flying from Milan to London and next to me on the other side of the aisle a man was sitting looking very pale. When the plane started moving he turned to me and said "can I hold your hand?" He was terrorized. We held hands until we landed, then said goodbye.

Recently I joined a small group of really great people for just a weekend adventure. Jaunts and road trips are for me the best, but only if they are in the Southwest desert. Nothing can beat the amazing landscapes of the Four Corners!  I knew only a few but it seemed that we had grown up together. A weekend made of simple things: one found some fun stuff in a highway store, another one sang cowboy songs all along, some had a bit of dope, and others just discovered each other. We were alive, happy, and worry-less.

Even when I ride on a coach with some 20 or 30 people, despite the tension and long days, we create a sort of micro-world that becomes our cocoon for some time. Suddenly we share personal stories, memories, photographs, always medications (!) and often sing and cheer at the old CDs I bring on my tours.

Strangely, it's when you are with someone you never met before that you feel you can be yourself. Together, in those moments, or days, we share everything: excitement, discoveries, music, food and everything else around us. It's magic!

Departures are for me the salt of life.

A Day in the Life of a Travel Designer

My life is intense and very exciting. I love it!
Not a day goes by without speaking with someone interesting or stumbling upon news during my Google searches that capture my imagination or that are useful in one way or another.
Although I often feel I would like to turn off the phones -and cell- to avoid all those irritating marketing messages, throw my computer in the deepest canyon with everything in it, and leave the tablet in my cats' paws, I must acknowledge that Internet is an amazing tool, that Skype makes my life easier, and, yes, the phone can be a great communication tool.
I never know what follows a sound announcing an e-mail or a phone call! I love suspense!

Let me give you an example of a typical day in my life.

After the shower, with three minutes left before meeting my clients...a Skype call (darn...forgot to turn it off).

An old biz friend starts with "remember me?"  Me thinking: kind of, but said "of course" with my best enthusiastic tone of voice. Brief: he needs a French speaking driver/guide for a couple of seniors (75 and 80 yrs old!)  who have already a pretty good idea of their two weeks tour of the Southwest. Oh dear, there is no such figure around! Have to ponder later. Stuck a Post-it on the computer. "thank you for thinking of me, I will get back with you with a positive answer asap!" How? Where? Who? I don't have time now.

On that sunny but chilly morning I was with a group of lovely people talking about agricultural traditions in New Mexico when my cell sent a gentle sound announcing a new message. As soon as I was able I took a quick look:

someone looking for a "reptiles" tour! What?!!

A sudden text message drops in my cell...someone is in Taos and wants me to get the Pueblo to open. I know I told them it was closed for a while and in any case I don't have THAT kind of power. But I had to listen to all their complaints and then repeat what they already knew. Done.




I get back at my desk by mid afternoon and find a message on the answering machine: a group wants a tour of churches. They said that they found it on our website...ehm...really? True, but it is just a short tour idea published back then; it will require some work and updates. Tomorrow?

Often I think that I should learn to delegate more, but I always come to the same conclusion: no. The main reason is that I love solving problems and finding solutions. I like designing travel programs!

Before leaving in the morning I set aside a message from an Italian tour operator asking for a botanical tour in California. Now I'll have to deal with it. Too bad I have such a tour almost done, but in Arizona!

The day, day light, comes to an end. Time to sit quietly at my computer and work on an endless budget. I know there are mistakes there, I have a special gift for feeling this kind of things; though not to solve them!
Dinner? Maybe later. What's in the fridge? I know the answer: nada! Oh well, I'll come up with something, I certainly have some jam and crackers.

So I open the damn document that has all the colors of the rainbow and their nuances to remind me of my thinking. Black=the base I have to work on; Red (shades of)=wrong/re-do/control; Green=to do; Purple=danger/recalculate; Brown=set aside for later; Turquoise (my favorite)=income;

What was THAT sound? Sure, an e-mail! How could I forget for a moment my client from "down under"? The voice at the other end of Planet Earth says the usual: can you please include another stop there? We got a new participant (who by the way only eats gluten-free food...!), maybe he will be joined by his son but we'll see about this later (my mind immediately has a question: King bed or 2 Queens bed?). Could you make rosemary bouquets to give to our guests at that dinner...you know, it's a tradition. Speaker xyz will not be with us at the dinner but if you arrange a Skype call he will be with us that way. Me: yes, of course, no problem, doable....

So I open the itinerary document and begin making the changes and realize that some are impossible. I write back to the client right away who answers immediately...and this goes on for a lo-o-o-ng time. It's almost Midnight, I MUST eat something and get back to the budget.
                                                                                            
At this point I start dreaming of soft pillows and scented sheets.... 

Not all my days are like the one I just wrote about (thank you, Universe!), but I can say that life, my business life, has often surprises for me that explain why, as once my doctor said to me, I function on adrenaline. I wish it tasted of vanilla!

All this requires flexibility, in the brain! Luckily I developed this skill over my years as a communications consultant when my clients spanned from fast-moving consumer goods to banking, computers, fashion gurus and automobiles.

Where else but in New Mexico (and the Southwest) can one address this variety of requests knowing there is an answer?

Now that I told you the story of a day in my life, I want to add something: there are much more important businesses, much more consuming jobs, many more people who with their work make important positive changes in human lives. Mine is just an interesting and stressful kind of work that I happen to like but I don't feel it helps humanity. Maybe, just maybe, it may open some people's mind!

I didn't vanish!

 

Three months of absence is a long time, but I have some excuses. More personal ones than business related, however important for me. Add to this the winter sleepy mode one gets into for the snowy days, paired with some incredibly cold days that saw me deal with firewood and keep the fire  alive, the overall frenzy of the Holidays, and, yes, sheer laziness.

Some important facts also occurred in my life:
1. On November 7 I celebrated my 10 years in New Mexico. A big deal for me.
2. Around the same date I received my Green Card. A huge accomplishment for sure.
3. My computer crashed. An ordeal. Sorry, no pictures!



To my next 10 years in New Mexico!

In between the usual life issues, there were friends going through difficult times or sick. Although I tried to sit down and write, I didn't. Period.

On the business side I have been really busy with some great tours that are still not finalized and drive me crazy. But they are coming together really well. This is the beauty of custom designing tours: you work hard for eons but the final result makes you feel happy! In January the phone started ringing again which made me feel that my life was slowly getting back on track.

And...I fell in love with a giant Cottonwood tree I pass by every time I drive home. I like thinking it is looking over me! He really is, you know?! And I had Italian friends over for tea. I had a great panettone coming straight from the source, and they know when it's a good one!

What I remember of these past months? The day when, thanks to a friend, I finally made it out and in nature. One short day, sunny and clear, but what a difference a day makes! I got in touch again with the beauty of this land, my eyes were again filled with the desert scenes I love. I was happy to have a new victim for my long talks. My friend is fairly new to the area; this gave me the opportunity to introduce her to the history along the High Road to Taos, the small villages dotting the road, the Mission Churches along the way. Every time I drive up that way I'm amazed by how much every square yard holds in terms of history, people, art, anecdotes, trivia, and of course beauty.

We happily ended up where we wanted to have lunch, a delightfully funky and excellent restaurant near the Truchas Mountains well worth the hour or so drive. Everything is made daily from scratch, their breads and focaccia are unique, and everything feels like a good old meal made by your grandma. It's always full of locals, which is a good sign. This little paradise is called Sugar Nymphs.

 

What am I worried about? One simple answer: our planet!