_**RESIGNATION**_ I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year-old again. I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant. I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks. I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them. I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day. I want to return to a time when life was simple; When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care. All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset. I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible. I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again. I want to live simple again. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes,mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones. I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow. So . . . here's my checkbook and my car-keys, my credit card bills and my RRSP statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood. And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, cause........ ......"Tag! You're it." Remember the Simple things in Life. ((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))

August 10, 2006

佛羅倫斯流淚事件

051222日在佛羅倫斯大教堂內對著一位老神父哭了一場。不,是大哭一場,哭至不能說話。這件事要沉澱了半年才能有比較清晰的全像。

我以較「豪華」的方式遊佛羅倫斯大教堂。第一天早上天色微亮人不多時走一次,下午入內和到對面的Baptistry參觀拍照,傍晚經過繞著大教堂走一圈再進去坐坐。

第二天仍是路過看看,晚上走上463級狹窄暗黑的樓梯到大教堂頂聽鐘聲(我雖然行過死蔭的幽谷,不至缺乏,但幽閉恐懼症已發作,進退不得、呼吸困難,很痛苦);之後進去聽彌撒。意大利文聽不明白,就在看人,見各式男女老幼誠摯禮拜,空氣微涼,有燃燒乳香的味道。這邊在舉行彌撒,另一邊的小教堂只有二,三人在禱告,較寧靜,我想,到那邊坐坐吧,唔買都睇下嘛。

坐了不久,原本在彌撒那邊有一位年老神父,檽杇的背是彎曲至頭多半時候看著地下,看人要先抬頭那程度。老神父大概是負責部份儀式,要從彌撒那邊到小教堂祭襢拿東西,他經過我身旁時,彎著背抬起頭看見我,我向他點點頭,他也點頭微笑,提起有點震的手打招呼,他的臉孔是德蘭修女那種老人家樣子,加上他的眼神,老實說,我好像聽到他的意思是:「你呀?你都黎咗?」

Right from that moment我真的覺得:「係呀, 我好鬼死攰,你知唔知我做咁多年人行咁多路真係好鬼勞碌,好鬼辛苦。」然後我坐下來開始流淚,覺得累極了,我要休息。

那邊的彌撒繼續,沒多久老神父再走過,我站起來跟他握手,沒想到更加淚如泉湧。然後他用英文問我從那裡來,說會為我禱告等等。我沒有說話,因為哽咽到不能說話,只握著他的手不住流淚。那一刻,好像只有這位老人家知道我好鬼死疲憊。我心想,神父如果你祈禱好掂的話請令我唔使咁勞碌。

我讓老神父走後,坐著過了好一會才走出教堂外拍照,拍到這張勁有像徵意義的照片。

然後,居然見到一個穿著大褸,戴帽,身影熟悉的人從教堂走 出來。原來老神父收工要回家了。他看見我,我們再握手,我向他道謝,告訴他我來自香港,心中希望他不會因為我無端端拉著他的手流淚而覺得我是神經病人。然後我們道別。我看著他身影消失,後來才想起我可能不會再見到他,應把他背影拍下,正一係「只是當時已經茫然」。

現在想來,那天是在意大利的第四天,其實情況相當自閉,獨自在途上只是非常次要的因素,最自閉的感覺是語言。原來我從未試過在一個讀、寫、聽完全隔絕的環境,要八下人地講乜都冇本事,不能扮醒,也儲存了很多不安的心緒。那幾天,最能與我溝通的只有油畫和雕塑。在佛羅倫斯這麼一個美麗城市而自閉,更覺氣餒。其它外在因素包括非常十分寒冷的天氣、那種下雪前無風的靜寂蕭瑟的氣氛,累極的雙腳,早就昏暗的天空,那463級樓梯登上浪漫到死只有我一個人的教堂頂,還有溫柔美麗,令人平靜,本身像有生命在呼吸的佛羅倫斯大教堂。

大教堂以粉紅,綠和白色大理石建造。當中還有個日本愛情小說「冷靜與熱情之間」為它加上一百分浪漫。我在佛羅倫斯的兩天,將旅途上最寶貴的commodity,即係時間慢慢的奢侈花用。早上因時差早起,看到有層灰藍帶粉紅色霧氣的大教堂,然後去看Angelico的「二樓的天使」,走完Uffizi又看大教堂一次,反正整天都在它附近團團轉。

教堂有種宏偉而溫柔的氣氛,宏偉與溫柔,大概不容易結合,但在我去過著名大教堂中,包括巴黎聖心教堂和聖母院,只有佛羅倫斯大教堂真的給我溫柔的感覺,不騙你,那種感覺和走進志蓮靜苑很接近。

大哭一場之後,諗咗半年多,寫得出這篇你睇咗可能都唔明的blog。

ps: 之後我回旅館梳洗,吃過晚飯,登上還未付足車費的通宵火車往維也納會合妹妹和朋友。與我同一車箱的,就是"Imagine"文中的一家三口。


My photo video of Florence Duomo (The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore) with background audio recorded in the mass and the sound of bell from the top, December 22, 2005

Comments on "佛羅倫斯流淚事件"

 

Blogger ton^chat said ... (3:11 PM) : 

親愛的lisi,感到可安歇的時候,我們才會流淚。
我剛剛完成對〈不倒女孩〉的承諾,不意看到這篇,感到一種...被帶領。

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (1:40 AM) : 

Dear Lisi,

好像能明白妳痛澈心扉的嚎啕..
有時候,總覺得肩膀上有許多需要承擔,
雙手就應該去撫慰其他需要溫暖的心,
看太多,得太滿,
不知不覺,自己的情感反倒被壓抑著,
被需要,很容易,
但妳最想要的卻總不開口..
何苦?

最終回到起點,
妳還是要扮演我那永遠寵愛人的大姊姊嗎?
算了,我們當朋友好了,
省得下回妳跑到台灣的總統府哭泣...
呵呵...
妳知道,我向來只會罵人不善於安慰人。

 

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