Fabulous Florence and the Magical Moment

We certainly were experiencing our full dose of reality on our Italian adventure. Each family member had made it through a different variation of the flu, I had lost my voice, our feet were burning from all of our walking, and we were still recovering from jet lag. None of this stopped us and we continued our journey with a lovely day travelling through the Tuscan Hills. We arrived at our next destination, Florence, and although we only had 2 full days there we were ready to do some more exploring. As I still had book promotions to do when I was there I knew our family time in this fascinating city was going to be precious. I had booked a series of well-coordinated tours in order to see as much of the art and beauty in Florence as possible in our short time there.

I booked a walking tour of Florence, and then a museum tour of the Uffuzi Art Gallery. This would involve a lot of art and walking in one day, but if we wanted MORE we were going to have to dig in and make things happen. In my book “M.O.R.E” the first step to exceptional living is “Turn it Up to 11”. To obtain an exceptional experience we would need to be willing to push the boundaries past simple comfort, stay curious (Step # 13) and create something special.

We explored the city and its art and history with gusto, but I must admit by the end of the day we were exhausted. I had booked one last tour late in the day to go to the Academia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s David. I had seen this amazing sculpture when I was 19 and I did not want my family to miss this opportunity, so despite some grumbling and our intense desire to return to the comfort of our hotel and soak our feet we trudged on.

For those who have seen this beautiful piece of art you will understand the next moments I describe. For those who have not, my hope is that you will become curious (Step #13) and consider this opportunity in your future. When you arrive in the gallery that houses The David you walk down a corridor before you can actually see the sculpture. I let my children and husband walk ahead of me as I wanted to watch their reaction when they first saw David. It was a moment that I cannot even put into words! They all stopped in their tracks, looked at the imposing piece of art, looked back at me and then looked again at a loss for words. Eventually they just said “thank-you”. That was my 11 moment! That was our magical moment! Remember to not give up and push yourself to 11. It is at 11 that we find our inner strength and resiliency, and it will produce some unexpected rewards. In amongst the reality there is magic – remember you will need to push yourself through the reality to get to the magic.