It’s morning…
Light begins to enter the room. I wake up and feel refreshed after a long sleep. I get up and go to open the window: the view of the garden and the mountains makes me smile; I know that a day of relaxation awaits me, and why not, also with a pinch of fun. I get ready, and have breakfast with a croissant I ordered at the reception desk, just to stay light … I don’t want to spoil my appetite for later. .
A short time later I leave the flat, walk past reception where I meet the manager. She greets me with kindness and a big smile; I return the same. I stop to exchange a few words with her, while I drink a good coffee from the nearby coffee machine.
Then I take my leave and head for the garden. Once outside, the first sensation is that of a pleasant temperature on my skin. As I walk down the driveway, I look around: the garden is mostly sunny but the sun has not yet reached its maximum height. The sky is a deep blue, and the lawn is green. I notice a small butterfly flying between the vivid red flowers and the surrounding plants decorating the sides of the path. I follow it with my gaze as it passes from flower to flower, and I lose sight of it as it recedes between the leaves of the tall palm trees.
I sit down on one of the small sofas in the lounge area, under the parasols and out of the sun; I find the ambience perfect for reading. I pick up one of the books borrowed from the Resort’s library, open it and start flipping through the pages. The reading is so engrossing that for a moment I lose track of time.
After a few moments, something catches my attention and my eyes rest on the sparkling blue of the pool… the clear water is so inviting. After showering, I approach the pool steps and dip a foot in to feel the temperature: I feel a pleasant freshness. I slowly enter the pool; the water level first reaches my ankles and then continues along my legs until my belly is submerged. Without thinking and calmly I swim a few laps, just to stretch my body. Everything is quiet around me. There is a lightness in the air… a sense of well-being.
At some point I hear talking in the distance, I open my eyes and realise that I have fallen asleep for a few minutes under the parasol. As I try to recover from my short nap, a nice smell of grilling comes to me from the barbecue corner; I turn around and see them: family and friends have gathered in the garden to grill all together. As soon as the meal is ready, I sit with them around the table and enjoy my meal; as we talk, an amusing anecdote always comes up, followed by some funny joke… I laugh so hard that tears come to my eyes.
A couple of hours go by, the sun starts to go down and the areas of shade get bigger and bigger… It is now late afternoon. After a few games of cards and other board games spent in pleasant company, I move from the lounge area and make my way to the lawn. I sit down on the garden swing: in front of me, the youngest members of the family are drawing sitting at a small table, and the older ones are having fun playing table tennis on the other side of the pool.
I rock gently for a few more minutes before returning to the flat to prepare to go out into the city centre; a fun evening with music and various activities organised by the city of Lugano awaits me.
As I watch the sun set, I think back over the day. A sweet feeling makes its way inside me: I feel at home and realise that very little is needed to spend quality time. I walk away from the garden and feel happy at the thought of returning the next day and experience another memorable day.