sixteen cakes: Italy is Eminent!

I am now on the "pre-Italy" watercolor retreat emotional roller coaster ride. It goes something like this: one day UP, calm, with a sense of confidence ("hey, I've done this before, what's the big deal?!"), next day down, "Oh my God! What if I forget how to paint!" Since this happens every year without fail, I have taken to writing myself a letter of encouragement at the end of every retreat, a little love letter of sorts, and placing it in my schedule book so I will run across it while planning the next retreat. Like the Zen tale of the master who is always startled by the daily ringing of the noon temple bell, I am always surprised. It goes like this: Trust yourself Victoria, you will remember Italian! Michael will be right again! You will remember art and how to watercolor. Ciao Bella!! Discovering it is like finding a gold doubloon. When I start to feel panicky, I pull out that piece of gold and calm my nerves. This year I am challenging myself to turn my anxiety into excitement by focusing on the lovely experience I am about to have.

Italy is Eminent!