In tilt
Once upon a college summer, I studied abroad in Sicily with about 10 other students and three professors. I have no idea what I learned on this trip - Sicilian is not even remotely close to the Italian I spent years studying. However, I did earn credits for the courses I took, putting me well on my way to earning my minor in Italian.
Among the many, many memories from Sicily, one that has always stuck out is of one of my professors teetering around the cobblestone streets of the town in her stilettos repeating the phrase "sono in tilt."
Yep. You sure are tilting, I thought.
My professor was about a foot shorter than me and incredibly fashionable. I don't think I ever saw her wear the same outfit or pair of sky-high shoes twice. Anyway, she offered some explanation for this phrase, which I cannot remember. According to my favorite translation tool - wordreference.com - it means: That "it's not working"or "to go haywire". The way my professor phrased it would translate then as "I'm not working" or "I'm going haywire."
From what I read about the phrase, it comes from pinball machines. Basically, when the pinball machine was shaken too much (i.e., tilted) by the person playing, a motion sensor inside the machine would end the game and the text "Tilt" displayed on the screen. Perhaps this happened on pinball machines everywhere, I just haven't played enough pinball to know.
But, yes. Wearing stilettos on a cobblestone street will definitely not work! *Game over* My professor had to stop wearing stilettos during the trip to get out of her "tilt".
I have felt like I was in an emotional "tilt" - shaken up, feeling like I'm "not working" - and I couldn't just take off my stilettos to be able to properly stand on two feet again.
Everything is official now. I wish I had words to describe how it feels - I don't - but, I don't feel like I'm "in tilt" anymore. Over the past several months - between work and school, I've been going to therapy, doing some way-down-deep soul searching, and surrounding myself with family and friends (both two- and four-legged). And, I actually feel well on my way to putting one foot in front of the other - firmly and with a little more purpose.
with love,
KB
Among the many, many memories from Sicily, one that has always stuck out is of one of my professors teetering around the cobblestone streets of the town in her stilettos repeating the phrase "sono in tilt."
Yep. You sure are tilting, I thought.
My professor was about a foot shorter than me and incredibly fashionable. I don't think I ever saw her wear the same outfit or pair of sky-high shoes twice. Anyway, she offered some explanation for this phrase, which I cannot remember. According to my favorite translation tool - wordreference.com - it means: That "it's not working"or "to go haywire". The way my professor phrased it would translate then as "I'm not working" or "I'm going haywire."
From what I read about the phrase, it comes from pinball machines. Basically, when the pinball machine was shaken too much (i.e., tilted) by the person playing, a motion sensor inside the machine would end the game and the text "Tilt" displayed on the screen. Perhaps this happened on pinball machines everywhere, I just haven't played enough pinball to know.
But, yes. Wearing stilettos on a cobblestone street will definitely not work! *Game over* My professor had to stop wearing stilettos during the trip to get out of her "tilt".
I have felt like I was in an emotional "tilt" - shaken up, feeling like I'm "not working" - and I couldn't just take off my stilettos to be able to properly stand on two feet again.
Everything is official now. I wish I had words to describe how it feels - I don't - but, I don't feel like I'm "in tilt" anymore. Over the past several months - between work and school, I've been going to therapy, doing some way-down-deep soul searching, and surrounding myself with family and friends (both two- and four-legged). And, I actually feel well on my way to putting one foot in front of the other - firmly and with a little more purpose.
with love,
KB
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| Castles in the town we stayed in...on cobblestone streets. |
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