Life Finds a Way

A New Year epiphany in a Florentine alley

I am wandering through a quiet shaded alley in Florence. Up ahead, I see an older man down on his hands and knees on the cobblestones. He appears to be looking for something. As I quietly approach, he looks up, and with a smile, he beckons to me. “Guardate che cosa è nato qui!”

I kneel down, head to head with the man, to see exactly “what is being born here”. A tiny purple flower with one leaf has forced its way up between the ancient stones and is blooming as if this dim alley were its own private eden.

Living things are compelled to grow. They somehow manage to thrive on what they are given, however meager. Life finds a way. The Italians understand this better than some. It’s a good thing to keep in mind as the new year begins, don’t you think?

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Sharron Bassano