A journey of 1,000 miles
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. ~ Lao Tzu
Maybe there’s more to this device they call Fitbit than meets the eye. Counting steps? Really, why? Here’s something to think about: what if the steps we take every day actually mean something.
Last month, my Fitbit exploded. Heck, it went up in a blaze of glory.
Walking in Pompeii
Len and I put steps to a dream we have shared for eternity. “Andiamo,” we say. “Let’s go.” To Italy. To Sicily. To the city of his grandparents’ birth, Castellemmare del Golfo. We met cousins Lucia and Ceasar. Trying to communicate with his Italian speaking, Sicilian family was very amusing – at least from my perspective. I must say, as a Southerner, I embraced the Italian way of talking with my hands and arms. I was flailing; in fact, so were they!
Italy is a walking country. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. When you drive, you drive Fiats because they are tiny and they scoot in-between other Fiats and walls smoothly. The roads are so crowded that walking becomes the solution to getting from one place to another. So, we walked.
Thousands and thousands of steps every day.
Did you know that being able to navigate through the town during downpours of rain was imperative for the ancient Romans living in Pompeii? So, what did they do? They placed humongous stepping stones in the middle of cobble stone streets, rising up about 16 inches, so that people could walk from one side of the street to another. How ingenious!
And then, the Colosseum in Rome, you either stepped into this grand arena as a gladiator, a senator, or as a plebian. I guess depending on your station, those steps might be gruesomely difficult.
Take 138 steps of flights and terraces and rise upward toward the Spanish Steps and watch the pretty people. You find a spot on the steps and sit; then, do absolutely nothing.
At the Vatican Museum, walk the spiral Bramante staircase as you leave. After nine miles of art, it was worth every step. Walk around to the front of the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. If you want to climb to the top of Michelangelo’s dome, that’s another 551 steps. We decided to save those steps for another time.
It’s a mere 10 steps down to the flowing water at the Trevi Fountain.
From our apartment in Castellemmare del Golfo, it was 123 ancient stone stair steps down to the waterfront for dinner. Knowing I had to walk them after dinner made my selection of Caprese salad, Spaghetti Bolognese and a bottle of Sicily’s Nero d’Avola perfectly acceptable.
At the end of each day, my Fitbit counted the steps I took. At the end of each day, that number meant nothing. However, each single step, each footprint, each stride changed me in a way I had not anticipated. I left part of my heart in this corner of the world. In time, I will go back for it.
Simply take that first step—of adventure, of faith, of flight. You might be surprised where you land.
