Staying sane in Italy’s lockdown

We are three days into complete lockdown in our small village in Tuscany. My whole physical world has shrunk to the house above. It is unlike any other experience I’ve had, full of some surprising sweetness and introspection alongside the anxiety, limitations, and worry. I’m discovering a few things that help me cope.

In case you aren’t familiar with the details of the Italian quarantine we are allowed to leave the house only to buy groceries (at the nearest store), or go to the pharmacy. If you do happen to be driving (or even walking) the police can stop you at any time to check on your self-declared paperwork about why you are out of your house. The only movement allowed is to certain kinds of work, a medical appointment, or to buy food. If you are headed to work or a doctor the police will call your boss, or the doctor’s office, to confirm your story. If it doesn’t check out double points will go on your drivers license. The vast majority of stores and all restaurants, bars, and other social gathering places are closed. All schools of all levels are suspended. I saw a casket arriving at the cemetery today without any mourners, just the priest and undertakers, as even funerals are banned.

Although we are only three days into total lockdown we had a week or so before of very limited movement. Here are a few things I’ve learned.

I am not my work. It’s so easy for me to have my self-worth equal success multiplied by busyness. Suddenly it has all come to a grinding halt for the present moment and life is stripped down to the essentials. Additionally every day seems to have a few added hours. In this time I have been doing a lot of things I’ve always had on the list, like meditation, and other kinds of self-reflection. It has been really sweet time with John as we are both trying to figure out this new status, which could last a while, as a team and what will make it work for us.

Nature helps. I crave being outside. I take a long walk with Lola every day – the only time I leave the property — making sure to keep a careful distance from the one or two other people I see out. Walking among fields and trees, and working in the yard, change my mental state and always improve it. If I didn’t have a yard I think even an herb garden in a pot would take on a special significance.

Home projects are finally getting done. We’ve always had a long list of things we’ve wanted to do to the house and are finally tackling some of them. A large bookcase which has been primed but not painted for several years now finally has its coat of paint and has changed the room completely. The olives have never been as well pruned. If you think a lockdown might be headed your way you might want to get what you need to tackle a few projects.

Cooking feels healing. Luckily food in Italy is in plentiful supply including meat, fruits, and vegetables. We are finding one of the big things that feels essential right now is to cook great meals. We’ve been making souffles, ice cream, roasts, cooking steaks over the fire, having the season’s first fava beans and baby asparagus. Meals feel more like a celebration.

I can’t control anything. Always good for me to be reminded of this and build the trust muscle that can handle it.

Indulgences take on a new importance.  We’ve been nurturing ourselves a bit more. Nightly fires are the focus of the evening. Hot baths, shower gels that smell really good, candles, books, flowers picked on walks all lift my spirits. John is playing piano more and learning a new piece.

The world has suddenly become very small and quiet. The air is clearer and crisper with fewer cars on the road, even in our rural area. It smells amazing.

The company of animals is even more precious. Thank God for Lola and the two cats. If you are going into lockdown this could be a great time to get that shelter animal and bond like crazy.

The work at home part. I normally work remotely from Italy and this article by Melissa Romo resonated for me. She writes about some of tricks of the trade she’s developed to kill it working remotely.

We are all in this together. It feels right and good that we are all attempting to curb this thing village by village, city by city. The mayor of the neighboring village posted a video last night saying that there were too many people out of their homes yesterday. Today a friend and I were going to walk our dogs together by the river but decided not to as it didn’t seem like it was sending the right message. We have to protect the grandparents in the village in every way we can. (The average age of the Italian victims is an astonishing 81.) Particularly in the North hospitals are completely overwhelmed in every way from beds to staff and we can’t let it get that way here.

Suddenly we want to reach out to people we really care about but don’t talk with often enough. And we are surprised to find that people from all parts of our lives are getting in touch with us. It is a lovely thing.

More later as it evolves for us all.