There are numerous funny little incidents, many of which have slipped our minds, or have intentionally been erased to minimize further embarrassment. However, one other small incident still remains painfully clear as if it was only yesterday. Cheryl was in the States, helping move her dad into his new place, and being alone, I decided on a simple pizza for dinner one evening. So I went into Torre al Sasso, Tower of Stone, and found one of the owners, Leonardo, there with his five-year-old son, Lapo. Amazed at how much he had grown, I exclaimed, way too loudly, “Non credo che sei Lupo!”  Rather than saying, “I can’t believe that you are Lapo!” unfortunately, I actually said, “I can’t believe that you are a wolf!” Simply by changing “a” to “u,” I had completely changed him from a boy into a stealthy and dangerous animal!

Those are the moments that end up binding us all together into a shared life and “community.” We each have our time in the spotlight when we become caricatures of ourselves, disclosing the messy imperfections that make us all so human and approachable. It is true though, that some of us make a few more “memories” than others.