Giovanna Spantigati

Summer. Time to go on vacation. My son comes to me, he smiles and asks - in his broken voice , "Mom, I want to go to the sea side!" I take a deep breath and all of a sudden I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. I smile too. In next to no time I think of how tough it is to help him to walk on hot sand and how painful to see him working hard to look "normal" to other people. My memories emerge.

And then I remember his loneliness watching boys like him playing, chasing each other, and in the evening ... the magic moment that young people wait for fleeting glances, entertainment with no limits, their illusion of being immortal and only thinking of happiness… But he spent the nights with us at the pianobar listening to words he couldn't understand, and to music that had no meaning for him. I remember the girl he fell in love with, I remember him inviting her one evening. She didn't come. I remember my pain. Now like twenty years ago.

What can I do when this time arrives? I close my memories - the concerns and thoughts of the physical and psychological fatigue that all this will lead me to - in my magic drawer.

Rationality takes the place of the emotions, which leave with a bow in good order. In front of me a glass and a life choice: half empty or half full. Ok, it is definitely full, I say to myself. Well, nowadays there are lots of possibilities, hotels, facilities, villages, accessible beaches . You can go and ask to a travel agency or take a look at the web. For example Village4all reports about structures and beautiful villages totally accessible to everybody. For those who want to go to the mountains instead, there is Freewhite Sestriere ski team, which organizes multi-sport summer weeks accessible to everyone with highly qualified staff. I close my eyes and imagine the sea and the mountains to enjoy the fresh air, the holiday, surrounded by people who forget the stress of everyday life.

I look out the window, now it's raining. I watch the clouds which are static, grey, but I understand I can always choose where to look at. So I decide to look further up, where I know the sun is shining, and I know that life is waiting for us. Home safety can wait. There's a world full of colors, scents, flavors, light, joy and an album to put photos in, as a souvenir. Yes, let's unwind and recharge. Good idea. Now as twenty years ago I take my suitcase, I fill it with my thirst for life and I am ready to go.


Giovanna Spantigati