When the sun comes up over the castle of Rocca Calascio, a small mountain village high up in the Italian Apennines, it’s like a silent, magic wonderland. One such sunrise struck Franco Cagnoli with a spiritual calling that led him to go on a mission that affected both the village and him deeply.

Rocca Calascio has seen no resident since 1957. Depopulation of rural or mountain villages in Italy began with the resettlement of villagers in the early 20th century, happening faster after World War II when people were attracted to urban jobs.

However, like many places, the area is enjoying a revival (复苏) and now home to some families. “To put it in romantic terms, there is a love story between me and the ancient building,” Cagnoli said as he showed visitors round the castle of Rocca Calascio. The castle, with foundations dating back about 1, 000 years, is one of the highest in Europe. It began as a tower in a line of connected structures to control and protect the land that stretched inland from the Adriatic Sea.

Cagnoli, now 39, first saw Rocca Calascio when he was 16. He was on a road trip to find himself. “I arrived here as the morning sun lit up the castle. I was blinded by the light and since that day something inside me has changed,” he said. “I thought it was the most beautiful place. I felt special energies, deciding to help its rebirth.” He’s now the castle’s caretaker and head of a cooperative whose members guide visitors.

“Besides temporary visitors, the complete revival has much to do with permanent residents. People of the previous generation didn’t appreciate the land they lived on,” Valeria Befani, a resident in the village, said. “Today’s teenagers, like my children, are proud of their land and are happy if they can stay here. ”

Consciousness (意识) rises slowly, awakening with the dawn that brightens my room. Cool air clears my mind as I walk to the kitchen, where my husband is making his morning coffee. The fire he thoughtfully started is beginning to heat the living space.

By my second cup, everyone is awake. After breakfast, we begin the busy work of a rural place. Chopping (砍) wood for the stove and clearing snow off steps and pathways. Our kids are big enough to be properly helpful and find joy in the work when everyone is doing it together.

Weekends at the cabin (木屋) are magical. During the break, our family constantly balances the demands of work and school. I’m subject to my watch and alarm clock. But coming to the cabin on the weekend is like entering another world.

Here, I don’t need to know what time it is-sunrise and sunset, hunger and chores set our schedule. The house and the woods around it are silent and dark, except for birdsong and the moon. Life seems less pressing, and it’s easier to live in the moment without distraction.

When I get up the next morning, my son is already sitting in front of the fire, staring at the flames. I sit beside him, and he leans into me, sleepy and a bit sad. “What’s up?” I ask. “I just don’t want to go home yet. I like it better here.”

I know what he means. I smile and put my arms around him. “Even when we’re home, this place is always here, where it’s quiet and safe, and everyone you love has time for you.”

I don’t really mean the cabin, and I think he knows that.

Peggy Whitson’s job demands a daily two-hour workout in a gym where weight has no meaning and the view changes at 17,000 miles an hour.

Whitson makes it look easy. At 57, she is the oldest woman to fly in space, breaking the record last November when she began her third long-term stay at the International Space Station. After returning home in September, 2017, the NASA astronaut felt matter-of-fact about the age milestone(里程碑).

“It wasn’t a record I was seeking out,” Whitson said. “I was 42 and 48 for my first two space flights. I feel lucky that I was able to get to do another one in my 50s. I don’t think people should let age discourage them, even on those jobs that require some amount of physical fitness. The oldest man is John Glenn (at 77), but we’ve had male astronauts in their 60s before, so it’s just a matter of time before women started flying in space at this age.”

On Earth, she stays fit by weightlifting, biking, playing basketball and water skiing. She shared what it's like to live in micro-gravity: “It’s like you’re in a swimming pool, but you don’t have to worry about breathing. If I push off from one side, I’m going to float to the other side. Every direction feels exactly the same, which is really hard for your brain to grasp, but it’s amazing how fast you adapt.

It’s a big shock for the body to come back to Earth — everything is so heavy. We spend a lot of time getting used being back in gravity again. Back pain was really the most dramatic for me this time. For me, coming home is way harder than going up into space.”