A race is a race, right? Well, not really. We all understand the dramatically different ways a race can be run, and won. For example, let’s take a look at two types of races—the marathon versus the sprint. They’re two completely different ways to accomplish the same thing—which is simply to finish the race. Yet rarely do we conjure up the same image for each. No, we picture the marathoner, slow and steady, well-paced. The sprinter, we imagine wirey, springy—practically leaping forward.

As Americans, we see again and again a conditioned cultural tendency to sprint. We love efficiency. We love accomplishment. The more efficiently we can accomplish something, the more we can do. Right?! We make checklists and mentally tick off everything as it happens. Yard work? Check. Grocery shopping? Check. Gas for the car? Check. Cash at the ATM? Check. Checklist? Check.

Well, Italians don’t share our love for the checklist. They seem to enjoy a more casual long view instead. In most cases, tomorrow is just as good as today. Domani, domani, Tomorrow, tomorrow.  Or maybe la prossima setimana, next week is equally fine, no need to hurry. They seem to have a built-in barometer that gives them a broader perspective that seems to result in a lot less angst. I’ll give you a concrete example.

In a few days, we’re hosting a retreat here in Italy. So our American minds tell us that we have to have everything set ahead of time—organized and ready. Bills need to be paid in advance. We have to test our planned route into Florence. We’ll even time how long it takes to walk between point A and point B. We check hours of operation to be sure that we arrive at a particular destination just as it opens. We try our best to control the many variables, because everything within our control will be perfect—or at least we hope so. Did I mention angst?

In general, it’s fair to say that Italians don’t think this way. They’re more likely to loosely plan. You know, something will probably change, throwing the schedule off, so flexibility is valued a lot more. When we went to pay for things at the hotel and restaurant, we ended up paying 2 weeks later than we thought we would. For the Italians, there was absolutely no hurry. In fact, there was a little confusion as to why we’d even consider paying before the event. Service had yet to be delivered, so why pay beforehand?

At a second restaurant, we stopped in to confirm our dinner arrangements. Sure, sure. Everything’s okay. Let me give you something to drink. Luciapoured us a concoction of Galliano, a sweet liqueur from Livorno and something else that may have been some form of rocket fuel. She then placed an orange slice across the glass onto which she sprinkled sugar. Finally she doused that with a 3rd, highly volatile beverage and set it on fire. The sugar crystalized as the flame died out. We were to drink the shot of liqueur and then eat the sugared orange slice. It was actually delightful—powerful, but delightful. Oh, but what about confirming the arrangements? Isn’t that what we came in to do? Sure, sure. Everything’s okay. A kiss on each cheek and we had finished our “business.”

I like the Italian pace of life. For the most part, we live it. Sometimes when something isn’t happening according to plan, one of us will ask the other,  “When did you get here, just yesterday?  And exactly when did Italians adopt your way of thinking? Do you really think today’s going to unfold just as you imagine? Really?” We usually keep this ridiculous line of  questioning going until we’re both laughing and coming back to reality.

But mostly, I like the contrast. I enjoy being an American in Italy. I like realizing that what I think about and how I think has much to do with our culture. Growing up in the Midwest means that I learned Midwestern values. Living in California means that I enjoy the nuances that are uniquely Californian. And being here gives me the opportunity to reflect about how different cultures can be. Yes, we’re different. But in so many ways, we share values and ideals. These are some really important questions to ponder, which I will . . . . . . . . . . . . maybe tomorrow.

Photos mostly from the Internet. Thanks.

Posted on June 4, 2011

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