It is said, When Aphrodite’s Necklace Fell into the Sea, the Most Beautiful Jewel Became Elba

Long ago, I was standing in a café in Florence, dipping a warm chocolate croissant into my foamy cappuccino, when I heard the legend of Elba. A young woman wearing soft pink tulle and ballet slippers told me the story, her long red hair falling over her bare shoulders, as she talked in a voice so warm and buttery, I wanted to dip it in my cappuccino along with my croissant. Her hair made her look like a mermaid who was spending the day on land. She said that seven jewels, or pearls, fell of the necklace of Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, and landed in the sea off of Tuscany, becoming the Tuscan archipelago. The centerpiece of the necklace, the most beautiful jewel of them all, became Elba.

I was spending my summer of 2000 in Florence, studying Italian and Italian Cinema. With visions of mermaids and glittering jewels dancing in my head, I bought a ticket and hopped a ferry to Elba.

The only fact I had ever heard about Elba was the Napolean was exiled there. I mean, can you imagine hearing you’re being exiled and must live in paradise forever? That’s a punishment I’d happily take any day.

I arrived on Elba at night, the smell of pine trees, rosemary, and lavender filling the air. The sky over the island was filled with so many stars I could clearly see in the dark. This was pre-internet, and I dragged my backpack around from place to place, trying to find somewhere to lay my weary head. The place where I landed overlooked the sea, and in the morning, I lay on my pillow and watched the sunlight dancing on the cobalt sea like thousands of sparkling diamonds.

I headed out to a remote beach, nestling my towel in between some large cliffs. The warm sand cushioned my elbows as I lay on my stomach, reading a book. I was just wishing a pina colada would somehow float to me, when a small “Cocktail Boat” pulled up to shore, selling snacks and drinks. What kind of island was this, where I had only to think “I wish for a cocktail” and one appears? I gleefully waded out into the waist-deep water, and bought some drinks and snacks to last me the afternoon. With a cheery wave from the driver, the boat sped away.

The water was so gorgeous and foamy, like I was wading into my morning cappuccino, so I laid everything down on my towel and walked back out into the water. I plunged my entire body under water, and kicked my legs together like I would if I was a mermaid and the water caressing my body was thousands of tiny flaming sapphires. With my head under the water, I felt small and enormous at the same time, like a tiny delicate wave and a massive thundering ocean. I felt completely alone, but also deeply connected to everyone I have ever loved. It was the open sea: danger and darkness lurked, but so did the most beautiful vibrant light imaginable. I popped my head out of the water and breathed in salt and sunshine before flipping onto my back and floating, my eyes closed.

It was the year 2000, and though I had experienced my share of sadness, I did not know then how much heart-shattering loss was waiting for me in the future. I look back at thirty-year-old Marci, and I want to hug her, prepare her somehow for the massive pain that awaits, but there is no preparation for what is headed my way.

Or maybe there was. Maybe the “preparation” was meeting a mermaid in a café who told me stories that sent me on an adventure. Perhaps the secret to healing broken hearts lies in looking up at glittering stars in a dark sky, swimming in a glorious sea that can turn from dark and stormy to brilliant and clear in an instant, listening to fairy tales and legends, and the deep understanding that the most precious jewels in my life are the experiences, the times I said yes: yes I’ll take that trip, learn that language, dance in that fountain, take a moment to watch the girl with the long red hair dance in the Piazza… If I was a Love Goddess, my precious necklace would be made up of a string of magical moments, experiences that I will treasure forever, that can never be taken, lost or stolen, or dropped in the sea.

Or maybe magical moments should be dropped in the sea, and every time we plunge ourselves in to swim, we are swimming in all the dazzling magical moments of others who have also plunged into the swirling sea. And maybe that’s why it feels so wondrous and healing to swim in Elba.