Luca Sartoni

Today I got my first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

What a day!

It feels like we have been stuck in this deadlock since forever but in reality, we were able, as human specie, to pull off a vaccine against an unknown disease in a year, and then we organized the distribution.

I just wish richer countries were better at helping the ones in need, because we need to get out of this swamp all together as a humankind.

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

Robert Heinlein

Today I turn 41, and since my last birthday I’ve developed new abilities. I now score 16 out of 21 skills needed to be a competent man, according to Robert Heinlein’s poem.

Today we went kayaking through the Laguna di Marano. The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too chilly. It was sunny but not scorching.

We paddled for almost 7 kilometers and we did a little bit of bird watching.

I had never been kayaking until a couple years ago when we went for a tour in the Abel Tasman reserve in New Zealand.

It was when, at the age of 38 I asked myself why I never had the courage to try such nice activities like exploring, multi-day hiking, and kayaking.

Today, after a year inside four walls, it was really good to get in touch with nature.

I’m so tired I can barely walk to bed. It was awesome.

Today I completed a bunch of small tasks I was procrastinating for a long time.

It was just enough to get started with one, that all the others followed suit.

Today WordPress turns eighteen.

It has been such a big part of my life, that I cannot even find enough words to express the gratitude toward this community.

What a journey!

For the last few weeks we have been knocking down a couple of episodes of “The Wire” every night, before going to sleep.

There are shows that work so well even after more than a decade, and others that don’t age well.

I’d watch Parks and Rec every day, and The Office too. Game of Thrones? Nah…

Another great one is Bosch. I love that one. I look forward to watching the 7th season, premiering on 2021-06-25.

Being stuck in the car, in a parking lot, under the pouring rain, it can be frustrating.

But not today. Today, being out there, was lovely.

The other night we watched Eurovision 2021 on TV. It felt good watching many different countries sharing a stage and spreading messages of peace and togetherness.

When I was a child there was a show called “Jeux Sans Frontières” and I remember watching it with my parents.

Eurovision 2021 gave me the same feeling of how important it is to see Europe as a big family, playing all together. It can be songs, or it can be games, as long as we stay together.

This morning we got up late but we quickly packed and left the house.

We drove an hour north to eat a famous rotisserie chicken and so we did. The day was gloomy, which ensured us a quiet spot on the empty patio of the restaurant.

I know chicken is not exactly the most exciting meal, but that chicken was something worth the drive.

On the way back we took a detour and visited a town nearby, where we found a chocolate shop and a gourmet store. We refilled our stock of dark chocolate, pasta, and jam.

On the way back we stopped at the florist who decorated our wedding day, but the shop was closed.

I’m repeating myself, but after more than a year stock at home, even these mundane things are so exiting!

Today I had a long argument with someone I deeply care about. It was like a heavy storm, in the summer: brewing for hours, and pouring down heavy In the late afternoon. I

t started with me getting annoyed for a remark in the morning, and it kept growing little by little until we both blew up at each other.

It doesn’t really matter what we argued about, and who said what, the relevant part is that we were both in the wrong.

At some point we broke the vicious circle, just getting closer to each other, taking a deep breath, and having a little laugh.

It was like a ray of light though the clouds, telling the land that the storm is over, and we can get ready to leave our shelter again.

We let it sit for a little while and we discussed deeply about our disagreements, which turned out to be just a bunch of unclear expectations, and a few misunderstandings.

It was a good day, and we both won, because we at the end of the day we know better, we realigned our expectations, and we have both more respect for each other, and for ourselves.