A ride in the Peugeot decked out in Pigeons’ poop!

I can hear a voice calling me, “Annamariaaa” with a very lovely Italian accent. I wake up and all I hear is “Annamariaaa, sei pronta?” “Are you ready?” I am not sure where I am as I am still exhausted from last night’s restaurant work. I almost forgot that today is Sunday and I promised him that we will go in the park for a poetry video shooting. I shout that I will be ready in 10 minutes. I can sense the impatience downstairs and hear the grumbling.
 

I am ready and go downstairs. Wait a minute, oh God! What in the world is he wearing!? I can see the excitement in his eyes and a camera hanging to his neck for this special event. Nothing has changed in him; same old cowboy hat with long turtle neck brown pullover and gray sporty trousers. He tells me we’re going by car. I ask him if he even has a car! Proudly, he tells me he does and it is parked behind the house.

I am nervously walking behind him on these tiny, narrow gullies in Perugia downtown, wondering what car he has. I cannot stop laughing when he stops next to this old fashioned convertible Peugeot 205, which is all covered in pigeon poop. He runs to the car all embarrassed. Immediately he runs around the car to shoo away the birds.

The pigeons did such a good job in decorating the car with their poop that you cannot even see the real color of the car. You cannot even see through the windows.

He frantically opens the car trunk, takes a window scraper and a bottle of water, and he starts to clean the window next to the driver’s seat for him to see. I am almost rolling on the ground out of laughter.

After a while long of effort, he gets all uncomfortable, but I am trying to make him feel better and I tell him it is okay, we can stop on the way at a car wash. Oh wait, I completely forgot it is Sunday and everything is closed in Italy and the entire country feels like it is under alien invasion because nobody is seen on the street.

Oh well, we still go driving all the way to the park to shoot the poetry video. The smell I have to endure is almost unbearable. In order for us to be able to breath, he opens the rooftop of the car. I wonder what other drivers are thinking seeing a funny old man with a cowboy hat and I with my hair flying around, driving this convertible Peugeot 205, all covered in pigeon poop. I can still see the embarrassment on his face and I am trying my best to make him feel better.

Even though the entire situation is not very pleasant for him, and people tend to focus on the bad more, I believe you should try to enjoy every bit of your life. Look at the half full part of the glass and laugh out loud while ignoring the half bad. Or just drink the whole thing and overcome the situation! Trust me, life is better this way!