Good morning again, beautiful Cortona.
We have breakfast, spend a little time by the pool and then go to the spa for our massages. We spend time before the treatments in the huge, indoor roman pool with many water therapy stations. In addition, the spa has a steam room and a dry sauna. By the time they call us back for our treatments, we are completely relaxed.
We’ve learned that when receiving massages in Italy, we must be prepared. The therapists are not as concerned about protecting modesty as what we’ve become accustomed to at home in the U.S., and even in Mexico. Shawn and I both had experiences where we were nearly fully exposed and also, the massage therapists touch more of the body than what we’ve experienced in the past. It was a bit unnerving for me, I must admit. The therapists assigned to us were, however, very skilled and other than a few uncomfortable moments, I enjoyed the massage and facial today very much.
The afternoon time passed quickly. Our friends Cathy and Gene invited us to join them for dinner tonight at the restaurant in our hotel. They had previous plans with two other friends, Cheryl and Deni, and we would all be dining together. Heather and Sauro were also invited but as of our 8 p.m. meeting time, we hadn’t heard from them. It turns out they had connection difficulties with their cell phones today, which we are learning happens often here in Cortona.
At 8:00, we met Cathy and Gene and were introduced to lovely Cheryl and vivacious Deni. Cheryl is a life coach for executive professionals and has a strong, outgoing and lively personality. Deni is also outgoing and lively and owns a local winery. He is also an avid cyclist.
We head into the restaurant and are seated at a large table that has been set up for us in the middle of the room. Cheryl instructs us that boys will sit on one side of the table and girls on the other. We all laugh and she assures us this will allow us to have more interesting conversation! I love it! The challenge for Shawn and I is that we have been sharing all our meals in order to taste more menu items. We are at opposite corners of the table. This works itself out as Cheryl and Gene work to helps us pass our plates back and forth as needed.
As with the previous evening, we have a strong group of people and the conversation is loud and exciting, often with more than one conversation happening at a time. I try so hard to keep up with all of it; I don’t want to miss a thing! Gene shares, at one point, that he practiced family law in his early days as an attorney. Someone once asked him, what’s the secret to a successful marriage. He replied, “It takes two people who have a very high tolerance for each other’s faults.” Brilliant! He also told us that after two divorces, he believes that marriage is really a five-year contract. He says, “The first three years take care of themselves due to the attraction people feel for each other. During the fourth year, things can become challenging and often times, by five years, people are filing for divorce.” He went on to say that when he and Cathy married 25 years ago, they made a decision to renew their vows every five years. He said that during year four, if you don’t want to lose your spouse, it’s the time to remember to be romantic, plan dinners, send flowers and basically woo your spouse to commit for another five years. Cathy shows us pictures on her cell phone of several of the fabulous wedding-type gowns she’s worn for their five year anniversary renewal celebrations. Gene watches her intently and with great love in his eyes when she speaks.
Cheryl has the gifts of leadership and connection with people. She immediately engages me in both personal and playful conversation. She came here from the Orange County beach area of Southern California. Her son is a medical student here in Cortona at University of Georgia and they both live here full time. Not only does she have a consulting business for executives, but she also is starting a Cortona concierge business. She’s intelligent and energetic, like the other women I’ve met here this week. She listens intently when I speak to her and she is gorgeous, with dark brown wavy hair and green eyes. Her outfit is stylish and she, too, is wearing DelBrenna jewelry. She met the owners in California and is very close friends with them, which is one of the reasons she came here to Cortona. She lives a full life. I am in awe.
We learn that the wine we drank at Cathy and Gene’s house last night was from Gene’s winery, Leuta. There is a gentleman sitting at the table next to us, drinking that same wine, and he is invited to come sit with us for dinner. He accepts the invitation and our group grows from six to seven. We share food throughout the meal.
Shawn and I are taught some of the rules of an Italian toast. Never cross glasses. Never toast with water in the glass. After the toast, one must take a drink before setting one’s glass down on the table. Mid-meal, Cheryl raises a toast to me for my love and work in end-of-life nursing care. Everyone expresses gratitude, given Cathy’s work with breast cancer patients. I feel honored and humbled.
As our meal is wrapping up, I see a light from the doorway of our dining room as Sauro and Heather enter with their bright, joyful spirits. They decided to come join our party for dessert! Two more chairs are pulled up to the end of the table, closest to where Cheryl and I are seated. Our Tuscan family is all together for another evening of genuine laughter and lively conversation.