Gold star

Lately Rome has been on its best behavior with me, and by "best behavior" I'm talking about freaking gold-star behavior! After months of acting up and being a pain in the ass, all of the sudden it's making life easy on me and making me smile, imagine that! The past few weeks have been the smoothest and most productive weeks I've had in a long time. Even the worst bureaucratic tasks have been a piece of cake. I've managed to get appointments, people have been punctual, I'm being paid on time, I've been crossing things off of my "to do" list like there is no tomorrow! Of course I'm psyched about this but I can't help but think that Rome is rather clever... Now that it knows I'll be leaving till Spring, it starts behaving properly just to make me feel a pang. Pretty sneaky, sis!
This got me thinking again about how similar a relationship with a city is to a relationship with a partner/significant other. Just think about it, when you first move to a new place, you are usually so enthralled with everything- good and bad. You find all of its quirks, eccentricities, and flaws so endearing and quaint. Much like when sparks fly upon meeting a new person- you adore every little detail about that person. You're more willing and able to overlook any issues that might pop up.
But with time, these quirks, eccentricities, and flaws start to lose their charm because you're dealing with them on a daily basis. What was once picturesque is now downright annoying. You try to keep your chin up and keep a positive outlook, you try to fondly think back to those early days when things were so peachy keen and you loved everything about the city/person. Sometimes these positive thoughts prevail, sometimes they don't. Just when you think the time has come to go your separate ways- BAM! The city/person does something to change your mind and leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart. Unfortunately, the opposite can also happen: just when you think you've found true happiness - BAM! The city/person does something that tears your heart out. Yep, we've all been there.
Rome is really messing with me these days, but I've already made my decision: we're taking a break till Spring and you cannot change my mind, dear Rome. Hey, a little time apart might be just what we need to get our relationship back on track.