Balancing Act: Navigating Life Between Palm Springs and Tuscany

PART 137: It might be interesting to share how we pulled off living in Italy for part of the year. I will post some steps and what we are learning along the way.

We love every minute of it, and what was once a dream is our life!

We live in Tuscany in the Fall, then back again in the Spring, and in California for the rest of the time (in a previous blog, I explained why we live in Italy only part of the year).

Step 1: As we explore areas in Italy, we discover some gems worth sharing. Some are well-known tourist magnets, and others are lesser-known but always amazing.

This week, let's explore how we balance our lives between Palm Springs and Tuscany.

Step 2: Our life in Palm Springs

When I retired from teaching two years ago, my partner and I moved to the Palm Springs area. We had purchased a home a few years earlier, and we were eager to start building our life in the desert.

Since relocating from Los Angeles to Palm Springs, we have focused on developing our friendships, completing renovation work on the house, and learning how to budget for two lives: one in California and another in Italy. I've also been focussing more on my writing.

In Palm Springs, compared to Italy, I find it easier to organize my time, accomplish the goals I set, and maintain my healthy routines. My typical weekday routine involves starting the day at the gym, heading to the local library to research a book or work on my blog, engaging in various local activities afterwards, and enjoying dinner at home or with friends in the evening. I end my day with a long bike ride after dinner. Weekends are more fluid, but always end with my nightly hourlong bike ride.

I find that I am more productive when we are back in California, especially with my writing. Producing a weekly blog requires time, as does writing and publishing a book, such as my recently released work titled "Onward: A Life on a Sailboat." I am now researching and writing a historical novel based in ancient Parthia and Judea.

I experience a deep sense of satisfaction when I achieve my goals, and living in California makes this process easier for me. I also set fitness goals at the gym, as well as the aforementioned long nightly bike ride for cardio after dinner. Keeping these goals in front of me also is easier when I am in California.

Step 3: Our Life in Italy

Our life in Italy has gone through various stages: first as visitors, then as short-term renters in Puglia, followed by long-term renters, and now as homeowners in Tuscany. Throughout all these stages, one experience that has remained constant is spontaneity.

Transitioning from a planned life in Palm Springs to being open to spontaneously meeting friends for dinner, attending local festivals, or jumping in the car to explore new areas or historical monuments has been a learning process for me. Embracing spontaneity in Italy has broadened my horizons and revealed my sometimes over attachment to routine, which I've had to consciously work to overcome while in Italy.

Living in Italy is an adventure. From visiting new places to embarking on international road trips, meeting expats, or accepting last-minute invitations, life here feels "bigger" than it did before. The adventurous aspect of life provides me with plenty to write about, even though I often struggle to find the time to organize my thoughts and jot them down until I return to California.

Step 4: Balancing California and Italy

We live in two places: California and Italy. We have friends, homes, and favorite activities in both locations. However, the challenge is finding a way to balance our lives in these two countries so that it feels like a single, harmonious life rather than two separate ones.

Step 5: Bridging life in Two Places

We have taken several steps to balance our lives in two countries:

1. We focus on cultivating friendships in both places, regardless of whether we are physically present.

2. I have let go of the struggle to maintain consistent writing while in Italy. Embracing a more spontaneous approach has opened my horizons, allowing me to focus on regular writing when we are back in California and not worry about it while in Italy.

3. Establishing healthy routines in both countries provides us with a sense of consistency. We start our day at the gym, followed by coffee, which is our routine in both locations. We also prioritize a healthy diet, engage in physical activities like hiking, and make time to pursue our interests—nature in California and culture and history in Italy.

We now view our life in two places as complementary rather than divided. Our months in Palm Springs tend to be more routine and goal oriented, whereas in Italy, we embrace a more spontaneous lifestyle. This combination works well for us.

Insights: In my first blog post, I reflected on the fact that we don't have everything figured out yet, but we are willing to take the leap, start a life in Italy, and figure it out along the way. Life is short, we thought, and we can either pursue this dream or just keep talking about it.

As we learn to balance our lives between Italy and California, it's becoming clear that the challenges of living in both places are an adventure we wouldn't trade for anything.

More next time.

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