Accompanied to sleep by swallows at daybreak and woken at noon by a duo of rusty and gray pigeons, I fell right into companionship with my standing desk, converted for me by dear Marco, my usual inverted hours—sleep in the morning, work through the night—luxuriously expanded, my afternoon hours, normally given up to jobs and chores, generatively freed, the quality of focus I found there textured by the regular sputter of the espresso machine and the sound of the piano I looked forward to just before dinner beckoned from the jasmine terrace. Civitella was interiority and dynamic conversations. It was fuel for the work, fuel for the belly, and above all I was in truly extraordinary company. I found myself excited for a future I glimpsed being born.