James
Remains Of The Historic Church Atop Aquilea
“Life offers you a thousand chances….all you have to do is take one”
— Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun
James was to Aquilea what Mr. Rourke was to Fantasy Island. Our journey started the night we decided to visit Lucca but our lives changed forever when we first met James. Over the years, his villa touched many lives, all in unique and very special ways but it was James that provided the fairy dust.
In that moment when we first came to Lucca, we were like you once were or maybe soon will be, early forties, kids, jobs, trying not to be stuck on that long, winding “road to the middle” and hoping to grab just one more rung on the ladder than our parents. These aren’t negatives. They’re life and we were blessed with many opportunities but suffice to say, we didn’t know any other way.
The first evening with James was all business with a cordial welcome and acclimation to the Villa. James shared some olive oil pressed from trees on the property along with some pane and vino from the village and we were set for the evening.
The following morning, standing on the patio, overlooking the expansive view spanning from Florence to Pisa we could see numerous hills towns and villages in between, James passionately explained the geography and history of the area, including the village of Aquilea.
That’s it, right? Off to our vacation! Not quite so as the next morning, just like Mr. Rourke, James appears and pulls me aside for a coffee. So, what brought you to Italy? Your interests? What do the kids like to do? Then a game changer; so, what do you guys do for a living? Really, both of you working so hard? It seems all too familiar, you remind me of me a few years ago, so I want to make sure I can share with you this week what I’ve come to love in my years in Lucca. Maybe when your back home, the experiences from the week will remind you that there is more to life than just what’s in front of you.
At that point in our lives and in fact during this vacation, we were in 5th gear trying to find a 6th, grab it all, do it all, soak it up. Then, somehow over a few days, through his efforts and through our observation, we started to see life through a different lens.
So, James, how do you do this? “
I guess I was in a position where I didn’t need to work anymore or really what I mean is that I had choices and didn’t need to stay in my original career path, I’m still working, just now at something I love and in a place beyond words.”
What an answer and what struck me was the word “choices” because at the end of the day that’s what life is, a series of choices, easy, hard and everything in between. The key is putting yourself in a position to be able to have choices, then seize upon those opportunities, pushing aside the fear that can keeps us from our dreams. There we were in 2005 making a choice to visit Lucca, which led to Aquilea, to James, to a coffee and so much more…..through the years we became close friends and while we’ve faced various challenges in our lives, what James shared during that first visit never left us, many times sustained us and changed us to this day.
So here we are in 2019, with a choice to do something different and our story continues…..
A presto,
Gillie