UNO ALLA VOLTA

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got came from my mother-in-law. Yola was an artist and a force of nature. When she came to see us, she never just visited. She painted rooms, landscaped, sewed curtains, laid bricks and tiles, and cooked fabulous meals. Juggling priorities never seemed to faze her.  She applied a system that she summed up in Italian, even though she was Czech: “Uno alla volta.” 

Uno alla volta: one at a time. Crabgrass must be eradicated root by root, closets sorted item by item, every project tackled step by step until order emerges. You might have to take breaks to do laundry or prepare a meal or drive kids to the skating rink, and you never know how things will turn out,  but that’s part of uno alla volta, too. 

From Yo, I learned it’s possible to re-do a bathroom or write an essay or publish a magazine in a series of short intervals. The way forward reveals itself in each completed step, until at last you arrive at the finish.

But first, you must commence.  Years ago, I met with my friend Lisa over a pot of tea. I was paralyzed in the face of some now-forgotten project, frustrated to the point of tears. 

“How do I even start?” I wailed. Uno alla volta was of no use to me. 

Lisa fixed me with a quiet look before she said, “I think the best way to start is to just begin.” 

You could have knocked me over with a feather, but upon hearing the rightness of those words, a formerly locked door swung open and I took my first step across a new threshold.

 I can’t say I always hear Lisa’s voice when I need to get started or “Uno alla volta” when I need to keep going. But as I put together the many pieces of this website, I’ve heard these two women singing their encouragements. They are part of a chorus of those who wish me well in all my endeavors. My way is clearer when I listen to that music.