God: it's been a quiet day. Thank you for the rest and for the things I've accomplished, even if they are only small things.
December 5th
Of two minds, December 5th
I was very happy to hear that my aunt, Marcella and her friend Ornella, had received their Christmas prezzie. It’s always fun to share, even though in this case, the sharing was a little selfish on my part. You see, I gave them a nice new digital camera. Nothing fancy, mind you, but more than enough to at least visually bridge the gap between Chatham, Canada, and Maniago, Italy. The gift, however, isn’t the focus of my thoughts today. Rather, my thoughts turned towards the strange thing that happened when I replied to their cheery little thank you.
You have to understand that I learned both English and Italian at the same time. I don’t ever remember not being able to speak either one, nor do I ever recall ever having any confusion between the two. I’m sure it happened, because they are pretty different, but I’m well and truly over that, now.
Sort of, anyway. While I was answering my aunties’ email, I was thinking in Italian, since that’s the only language they know, and it’s perfectly comfortable for me to think in it. My fingers, on the other hand, (pun slightly intended) kept writing my thoughts in English. Very weird. I would think a word in Italian, start typing, and next thing I knew I was correcting a perfectly spelled English translation of my Italian thought. I guess it just goes to show how thoroughly trained I am to think in two languages, but not so practiced in writing Italian. The hand controlling part of my brain must simply have gone to its comfort zone and written what was easy, rather than correct.
It was very weird seeing the process unfold, thinking an Italian thing and watching my fingers type an exact English translation. It was also an amazing reminder of our human condition, because we are all in two states of being. There is our physical self, the body we call home, and then there is the Spiritual self, the essence that gives us life, purpose and meaning. Some folks are fully balanced in their physical and spiritual existence. They are as Spiritually close to God as they are physically close to a friend. Others, like myself, are works in process, trying to be as comfortable in prayer and meditation as we are typing a letter. Yet others have no clue and live purely according to their physical side unaware of their Spiritual nature.
It saddens me to think of such folks. They are missing their reason for living. Sure, we couldn’t exist without our bodies, but that’s only a temporary state of being. Our Spiritual selves are eternal. They are our true selves, known completely only when we are one with our creator, with God, the one who loved us into existence. We might not achieve that state in this life, but even the smallest success is a source of joy and fulfillment.
You have to understand that I learned both English and Italian at the same time. I don’t ever remember not being able to speak either one, nor do I ever recall ever having any confusion between the two. I’m sure it happened, because they are pretty different, but I’m well and truly over that, now.
Sort of, anyway. While I was answering my aunties’ email, I was thinking in Italian, since that’s the only language they know, and it’s perfectly comfortable for me to think in it. My fingers, on the other hand, (pun slightly intended) kept writing my thoughts in English. Very weird. I would think a word in Italian, start typing, and next thing I knew I was correcting a perfectly spelled English translation of my Italian thought. I guess it just goes to show how thoroughly trained I am to think in two languages, but not so practiced in writing Italian. The hand controlling part of my brain must simply have gone to its comfort zone and written what was easy, rather than correct.
It was very weird seeing the process unfold, thinking an Italian thing and watching my fingers type an exact English translation. It was also an amazing reminder of our human condition, because we are all in two states of being. There is our physical self, the body we call home, and then there is the Spiritual self, the essence that gives us life, purpose and meaning. Some folks are fully balanced in their physical and spiritual existence. They are as Spiritually close to God as they are physically close to a friend. Others, like myself, are works in process, trying to be as comfortable in prayer and meditation as we are typing a letter. Yet others have no clue and live purely according to their physical side unaware of their Spiritual nature.
It saddens me to think of such folks. They are missing their reason for living. Sure, we couldn’t exist without our bodies, but that’s only a temporary state of being. Our Spiritual selves are eternal. They are our true selves, known completely only when we are one with our creator, with God, the one who loved us into existence. We might not achieve that state in this life, but even the smallest success is a source of joy and fulfillment.
December 4th
December 3rd
December 2nd
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