A quick note from Salerno

Okay everyone,

I am getting there, and am very close to being current. I have to keep my priorities straight and leave the internet cafe now to eat dinner, but I wanted to make a quick comment on my recent Napoli and the South post (the one without the pictures).

This whole writing for an audience experience is a new one for me, and I have learned about my own limitations as a writer through the reactions I have received to this particular post. All of the reactions have been supportive and encouraging, and I appreciate and value your good vibes. However, the intent of my post was to show that I had surmounted this psychological obstacle, and that I had come out feeling victorious and heroic. I guess my loved ones worry about me and want me to be happy, so any chinks in the armor, so to speak, elicit this kind of response. Add to that the fact that very few of you hear from me over the phone, and imaginations run wild. This is the tricky part about the written word, and I am still a neophyte.

So I will be blunt. I never considered quitting, have no intention to do so until I have reached the finish line, and am in excellent spirits and the best physical condition of my entire life. I continue to learn every day and am still grateful for my good fortune.

I guess that in a way my post achieved its objective, or at least half of it. It is impossible and certainly artificial to spend four months riding a tidal wave of high spirits, and I shared with you the only serious (but not too serious! Don't read too deep here, please) dip I have had during that period. In doing so, I elicited a strong emotional and sympathetic response, and am currently basking in it. I should complain more often...

With continued thanks and love,
Pat