One Day in Palermo
I’m lying in bed next to my sister staring at the airbnb ceiling 20 feet above. We’re finally resting after hours of walking around in the unforgiving Sicilian sun. I’ve been in Palermo for one day, and an old but dormant feeling has returned. I can’t stop thinking about how I was born to live a life of leisure.
I know this feeling isn’t mine alone. I fundamentally believe everyone deserves a life of leisure. And by leisure I don’t mean luxury or extravagance. I mean a life of comfort. A life filled with scenes of peace and flares of immense joy.
Right now leisure for me looks like lofty airbnb ceilings and winding Sicilian streets. I am so happy to be back in Europe, and I’m astounded I’ve been here 4 times within the span of a year. Tomorrow we’re sleeping in before going to the market and then going to look at beautiful churches. Sunday is my mom’s 60th birthday, and we’re going to the spa to celebrate. I feel so lucky.
Although this is my life right now, leisure rarely looks like this. In my regular life, I have to savor the peace that comes between frantic keyboard typing and emails. Amidst the toil of housework and deliriously filming book videos, I clutch on to the minutes that feel purely my own. But like a billowy summer dress that calls to me in the heat, I’ve already slipped on a new Italian version of myself. I’m amazed that within 24 hours I’ve reimagined my routines and enveloped myself in languid fantasies.
This morning my sister, my mom, and I dressed up in coordinated outfits and met a photographer named Carla outside the Massimo Theater. I had signed us up for an Airbnb experience with a Sicilian photographer, and we were thrilled by the idea of professional photos while abroad. Our excitement was curtailed by the 95 degree weather forecast, but we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.
The first hour of shooting was lovely. Our spirits started to falter as the unwavering heat endured and our pinching shoes demanded our attention. I felt rejuvenated when I finally abandoned my heels for sandals. Carmen and my mom quickly followed suit, and we soldiered on. I wished out loud that I had brought a book to take pictures with, and they enthusiastically demanded I buy one from a nearby bookshop. Despite the books being entirely in Italian, I bought a 5 euro book on the history of Palermo. Thank god my family insisted I buy it because we ended up taking some of my favorite photos using the book as a prop. I wonder if I’ll be able to use the photos to fool anyone into thinking I can read Italian.
After two hours of shooting, Carla had us take some photos sitting at a cafe. Little did she know that when we sat down, we wouldn’t be standing up for a long time. A small taste of shade, an icy lemon granita, and a break for our blisters was too tempting to resist. We cut the photoshoot short by 30 minutes and decided to camp out at the cafe until we regained our strength. We bid Carla many goodbyes, and she left with our image immortalized in her camera.
It was in the shade of that cafe, as I sipped on my drink, that leisure clouded my brain. In this state, the past felt out of place. I could see what was before me and think only of the near future. What should I eat for breakfast tomorrow? What snacks should I get at the store? Should I bring my film camera or my digital camera while sightseeing tomorrow? Summer still feels expansive and palpable here in Palermo, and I’m not worried about the fading season like I am at home. I feel swallowed up in joy and peace and beauty.