I am enjoying this book more and more as we get further into it. This is the perfect book to read slowly and savor over time.
Here are my thoughts on the next set of beads:
Bead 23 - I like the Italian tradition of going to the "bakery" after a game. To me it says that drowning your sorrows in alcohol isn't the answer. Rather it is the comraderie with one's friends and the delights in the simple things in life (such as pastries) that really helps one through the good times and bad.
Bead 25 - I enjoyed the following line "perhaps my life has not actually been so chaotic after all. It is merely this world that is chaotic bringing changes to us all that nobody could have anticipated." She continues with "one must always be prepared for...endless waves of transformation." I believe that this takes a big burden off of us thinking that we are always in charge and the masters of our own destiny. If things don't go the way we think they should go, we are too hard on ourselves and see ourselves as failures. Maybe sometimes we just fall victim to our circumstances. If that is the case, then we merely need to pick ourselves up and head off in a new direction.
Bead 26 - I really liked the references to the differences in the ways that people perceive time and their control over it. As Americans we are very time-controlled and time conscious. Her description of Italians is very refreshing in that they perceive time as something that they have no control over-it is the destiny of God. It reminds me of how time is perceived within my family. DD and DM
live by the clock. These are two of the most punctual people I've ever met in my life. DD however did not learn this trait from me!
If you were to pay me $1 million to show up somewhere on time, I still couldn't do it. I could get up early, and I would still find ways to fill my time which would invariably make me late. In my mind there is no right or wrong when it comes to this concept, but we each have our beliefs regarding the element of time. In my mind, if I'm not following a clock, I can never be late!
Bead 27 - This bead brings to mind the fact that for each of us the traditions of the best food are most often found in those little out-of-the-way places that each of us grew up with in our hometowns. We all know those places, such as the pizzeria in Naples, that make our mouths water and that bring back such delicious memories. What I took from this bead is that you don't necessarily have to travel half way around the world for a slice of pizza. What you do need to do is take the time to go on that spur of the moment outing and enjoy those places that mean the most to you. Once you are there, live in the moment.
Don't spend your time rehashing the past or planning every last detail of your future. You don't have to do it all or see it all. Just be!