Italy Hangover - This stuff is legit

Good morning! Three weeks ago today, we set out on our Journey Through the Boot. It's hard to believe that we haven't been home for a week yet, and I miss Italy in ways that I don't understand...

I mean, I have taken vacations and have come back wishing I was still on vacation, yeah, of course. I have come back from Florida a bunch of times and told my boss, "I am looking for homes in Florida, just thought I would let you know..."

However, this hits different. I remember when I was a kid and I would go with my mom to Italy for the summer and come back to the states and it was time to go school shopping and start school, but I always felt that something was missing.

I feel that now. Man do I feel it. I have always said that Italy has stolen my heart, and I have left a bit of it there. 💗

As I write this, both John and Lydia have already battled the infamous "travel crud," and now it's my turn. My voice is barely hanging on, and I’m definitely not feeling my best. Still, I’m incredibly grateful that I stayed healthy while we were in Italy—truly, so deeply thankful.

But now I find myself wondering: will this feeling ever fade? Not the physical crud— which I sincerely hope that it is short-lived—but this lingering sense of “am I missing something?” I keep telling myself, “Come on, Claudine, you just got back from an amazing trip. It’s hard to adjust to real life again.” And sure, that’s true. But is there something more underneath?

Am I brushing aside a deeper longing, some greater purpose, just because I feel obligated to “get back to reality”?

When we got back, John and I have hit the ground running. We both went back to work on Monday, a bit more than 24 hours after landing, and it was a really busy week for us both. 

It's hard to come back from a trip and try to explain what you have experienced to others. They didn't just get back from Italy, I did. I can't expect others to understand what I am feeling, what I saw, what I experienced, what I ate...

When people see you when you get back from a trip, what do they ask? They ask, "How was your trip?" When people ask me that, I may have a dumb founded look on my face because how to I even begin to describe it?? How do I even put it all into words? Any words that I would use to describe it would almost sound cheap and wouldn't do it justice. 

Truly, I feel like I haven't had the opportunity to digest everything yet. 

So, it's true. 

Hi, my name is Claudine, and I have an Italy hangover. 

But if I am being honest, this is ONE hangover I will welcome with open arms and want to last for a really, really, really long time. 

XOXO,
Claudine

















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