Thanksgiving and Other Joys

 

If it is worth doing something, it is worth doing it poorly.  – Francesca Von Gill*

 

Winter has come

It gets cold here. We always forget it. I love the cold. Monica dreads it. We make many traditions out of it: “it is time for Harry Potter…” or “it is time for Lord of the Rings….” or “it is time for Gilmore Girls….” Actually, most of our traditions surround movies. I’m really glad they do. 

Monica and her parents taught me that movies and TV shows — the great ones, at least — are formidable works of art. Vince Gilligan, Scorsese, Joel and Ethan Coen, Miyazaki, Greta Gerwig, and Kurosawa are up there with Flannery O’ Connor, Dostoevsky, Chaucer, Melville, Cervantes, and Augustine. This realization was perhaps the most pivotal in my intellectual life since graduating college. I now never feel that awful feeling that I’m “wasting time” when I enjoy beautiful or fun cinema. 

We have introduced Rocco and Luca to more since I last wrote: The Secret World of Arrietty of studio Ghibli is their new favorite. 

Getting snow this late in the year is rare here. We enjoyed Halloween (not the movie) in a mild chill. Rocco dressed as a bear and Luca dressed as a lion. They figured out the whole the trick-or-treat arrangement very quickly. 

A highlight of the month was definitely going home for Graham’s wedding. 

The first snow came on Thanksgiving day. Enchanting. Monica’s parent came to share it with us. Monica does the most beautiful table arrangements. Luca is showing off some toys in the center photo. 

                                                

The Boys

Rocco had his first day of preschool last month. He qualifies for speech therapy. He loves it. His teachers are tremendous and kind. 

 Rocco and Luca are becomes best of friends. It brings me such joy. They are definitely rascally boys. So much fun. 

 

 

 

I do think about Rome a lot.

I have been working on changing my approach to work and play. I have been meditating on the words of T. S. Elliot from The Wasteland: 

Teach us to Care and Not to care.

Teach us to sit still. 

I found that I would neither rest when I was sitting nor labor when I was working. Very strange limbo I would constantly put myself in; a sort of paralysis was always in my bones. The Latin word for leisure is Otium and the word for work is “Negotium” or literally “not-leisure.” Neg-Otium. I’ve been trying to live where the default reality is otium, not the non-being of neg-otium. Rocco and Luca teach me a lot on this point. They live only in deep time. I teach them more, though. Don’t worry.