As anyone who knows me could guess, Under the Tuscan Sun was the one which struck a cord. Having been through Tuscany but once in my life I've developed a deep and abiding love affair with it in my mind. I plan on retiring there. It has just about everything I could ever want - rolling hills, history upon history, aesthetic architectural beauty beyond compare, food that will make love to your mouth, wine with every meal, warm open people, festivals full of color and meaning, temperate weather, etc, etc, etc.... So the mere fact that this movie was based there and I didn't make see it in the theaters was shocking by itself.

But whilst watching the movie I found myself not just enamoured with the visuals but also with the story itself. It was as pleasant and surprising as finding an undeniably attractive woman whom more beautiful in spirit and temperament. The bare bones of the tale is one of a writer/professor/critic who has her life destroyed by a divorce. Her best friend tells her that she is worried she may never recover, that there one comes to a point where they can turn right or left - one that will lead to recovery and joy the other to despair and emptiness. Said friend buys her a romantic tour of Tuscany with a gay tour so that she wouldn't be hit on. At one stop she rather impulsively buys a dilapidated villa. And with that she begins rebuilding her life, just as the home she has bought is rebuilt. As often as not, it appears that for every step forward she takes one back. But with every obstacle put in front of her she begins healing although never seeing it. This leads to endless frustration and she vents and shouts but always presses on. And suddenly she looks around and everything she ever wanted was there - and she was living it all. Maybe not the way she envisioned it, but it was there...

Not to trivialize my life, but ya'll know I often draw parallels to movies to prove points with everyone. I see myself having come to that point of choosing right or left and I made a decision. And as I work, fight, complain and moan I struggle forward - sometimes making marked steps forward, at others I seemingly falling behind. I think that this place sees many of my rants. I hope that I will continue to push, working on all those tasks which stand before me, some which have held me back, and listen and gain from occasional wisdom. Maybe I'll suddenly look about and see that everything I've ever wanted is with me...