“The water is rising and the land is sinking,” stated our handsome tour guide Enrique. Other than that, from what was seen through the eye - have a cataract in the left one and can’t see out of it - of an aging jock, Venice, Italy was looking just fine.
I didn’t know what to expect prior to visiting the northeastern Italy city for a rendezvous with darling wife. The business executive had been there for meetings before this knucklehead flew in for some fun.
“You’re gonna love it!” many would say. “It’s so romantic!” Others would counter, “You’re gonna hate it. Too much trash in the water!” Well, I loved it: the food, vibe, history and, for me, a powerful example to the unlimited potential of the human spirit and mind.
From information gathered, it seems about 150,000 folks live, work or play in the one-time maritime center of the world. It’s a bustling place, even in the off-season when the cool and damp weather keeps the tourist population down a bit. But what amazed me in this thriving spot of humanity was that you’d never see a car or truck.
People went about their business by boat, walking or riding a bicycle. I found that very cool and refreshing.
117 islands separated by canals and connected by bridges. Almost every island had its own piazza, church and cistern. Narrow walkways separated restaurants, hotels, shops, homes and businesses. If you’re claustrophobic, Venice might not be your town.
The city floods all the time. “More than 150 times a year,” Enrique suggested. Everywhere you walk, platforms are stacked neatly. Wooden sentries stationed for when the tide or rains come and water rises. When needed, the platforms are laid out so residents, workers and tourists can step upon them and go about their merry way. Also, it’s the city of masks. Shops with masks are everywhere.
So is a spirit of adaptation. Sure, the water might be rising and the land sinking but Venetians figure out a way to keep on truckin’. Well, in their case, it would be, “keep on boating, walking or pedaling.”
Standing inside of St. Mark’s Cathedral, built about 900 years ago, while gazing up into the five-dome grandeur that is the massive shrine, the mind wanders to, “How in the heck did they build something like this so long ago?”
Venice. One word continues to pound into my brain. Ingenuity. Oxford American Dictionary defines it as, “Cleverness, imagination, inventiveness.” Those characteristics have served Venetians well for thousands of years. Cleverness, imagination and inventiveness will serve us well too.
Is the water rising or land sinking in your world? Where might it be time to shift from whatever is, to what could be? Take a gondola ride with ingenuity.
If history’s any indication, it’s a darn good thing to possess. Life brings us challenges. Let’s learn from the Venetians. We might get wet but, thanks to an ingenuity platform, we ain’t gonna drown.
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