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Today we rode to Pienza. Colleen and I talked on the climb, continued our conversation from the day before about the living meditation, the moving meditation. It is living that IS the meditation, we agreed. Life is the journey. Action is the venue in which consciousness takes place.

No wonder all these women want a moment to be near Colleen and talk with her. She’s not just someone who has a written philosophy of life. She is a walking example of how her outlook manifests itself in physical existence.

In Pienza, we had yet another laugh attack in the cheese store, where I bought an aged pecorino and a fresh pecorino with truffles. I can’t even remember why. At this point in the trip, no one even needed reason. Everything was funny. Everything was a release from regular life.

Colleen and Howard and I grabbed a sandwich in a little meat market down the street. Porchetta on bread. Again. The simple things. Porchetta is basically all of a pig, roasted with the skin and bones and everything. The little old man behind the counter slices off a section, complete with salty skin and cartilage and meat, and he just packs into the middle of a roll and mashes the thing with the heel of his hand, before handing it across the counter to you. All the while he talks to the woman next to him, who seems to be his wife.

We sat on the steps to the church in the square and ate our sandwiches. The food is so simple. I keep being reminded that the return to basics, simplicity, organic community living is what makes Tuscany such a timeless place. It’s what makes it beautiful.

I guess I was still thrashed from the 100 mile ride in 100-degree weather, because I lay back and on the steps of the church while everyone finished their shopping. The next thing I knew, I was waking up to the blue sky above and the bells ringing.

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For more information about the Women’s Quest Athleta Tuscany Tour, visit WomensQuest.com »