Beaucoup

Beaucoup (Fr.)/ Many (Eng.) adjective: Consisting of or amounting to a large but indefinite number.

I have always been the kind of person who likes to try a lot of things, to squeeze every last drop out of this life.  God forbid there be something of interest that I have not tried exploring. Maybe that is why I read more magazines and blogs than I do full books.

A very wise person told me recently that there are two general types of passionate people in this world. The type who have a single, clear, burning mission from the moment that they are born. And the type who treat life like a candy store, sampling as many different candies as they can. And neither one is better nor has more benefits than the other. Each one provides structure for growth, which is the one sure purpose in life-- to grow. You can grow just as much from the pursuit of one clear mission as you can from many. And one mission can turn into many and many pursuits can turn into one.

Soixante

Photo by Chuck Close, courtesy of The Pace Gallery, featured in Harper's Bazaar

I recently began working with a life coach to help me gain clarity around my dreams and goals. I don't seem to have a hard time determining how to accomplish them, but determining what they are could use some added support right now. Having recently accomplished my dream of living in Paris, it seemed wise to keep this momentum going and to go "bigger".  (Bigger than Paris? yes, please.)

I was encouraged to explore a visioning exercise with these seemingly simple instructions:

Fast forward to your 60th birthday party.

Visualize: Where are you? How are you celebrating? Are you alone or with others? What are you doing? Who is there? What are you wearing?  How do you feel? What is your lifestyle like? What does your body look like? What does your face look like?

Luckily for me, I had just read an article in Haper's Bazaar featuring a photo portrait of Diane Von Furstenberg by Chuck Close and an interview between them both. It gave me fabulous context for embracing this exercise.

"...At 64 [Diane Von Furstenberg] has never had any plastic surgery, has no plans to, and if anything takes pride in her lines. "I’ve always liked wrinkles,” she says. “When I was a young girl, I used to make lines on my face with my nails because I loved Jeanne Moreau. I always wanted to be older; I always added years to my life. For the longest time, if people thought I was older I would take it as a compliment.”
- Diane Von Furstenberg quote taken from DVF Portrait, Harper's Bazaar 


Click here to read to full article.

Mars: Les cinqs premiers

Mars is a big month for me, not only because it signals the beginning of spring, flowers and wamer sunnier days ahead, but also because it is my birthday month. And all of those reasons give me PLENTY to be grateful about.

1. Finding a new love-- in the opposite direction.
Up to this point, I have been in a monogamous relationship with the Jardin de Luxemborg. But in an attempt to avoid wearing running gear in such a crowded springtime destination, I ran in the opposite direction. Straight into the arms of a new love, the Jardin de Plantes de Paris. And lo and behold, as it is so aptly named, there were cherry trees in blossom, tulips, poppies, an art deco wintergraden, trees being supported by large structures, and um, monkeys! Who would have thunk it? Right in the middle of this large jardin is a melangerie of animals. C'est magnifique! In keeping with the springtime theme there are new beginnings and discoveries happening within a couple of blocks of my home. (What else have I yet to discover?)

2. Stepping outside of my comfort zone.

I know I go on and on about my favorite Diptyque scented candle, Baies. But in honor of the fresh start of spring and a new year for yours truly, I figured it was time to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new. Enter, Figuier candles. And I didn't stop there, I picked up a couple of new eau de toilette scents to try out, for good measure.

3. Things just showing up.

I have tried just about everything on my list in order to improve my French. Attending my weekly lessons, cd's, French movies, attending French dinner parties, reading only French magazines, random tutoring from a handsome man, yet there was one thing that had eluded me until now-- a language exchange partner. One day, while picking up some home repair supplies at the BHV I encountered the most darling young, freckle-faced cashier, Sevrine. She spotted my poor French accent immediately and jumped at the chance to try out her English (side note: Really? Me saying "Pardon" was a dead give away!?). She asked me if I had ever read Eat, Pray, Love (who in the world did she think she was talking to? Is it that obvious?). I immediately replied, "Oui, beaucoup!" She said that she really wanted a language exchange partner like in the Italy chapters of the book. 

So now I have a language exchange partner. Check.

4. Game day decision leading to a perfect celebration.

With an infinite amount of ways that one could spend their birthday in Paris, I found myself paralyzed by the possibilities. This indecision left me with only one option-- make a game day decision. My game day plan? Have one glass of champagne at Le Baron Rouge with my beautiful friend before dinner at a new Mexican (yes, that's right, Mexican!) restaurant, Candelaria. If you want to hear God laugh, then tell him your plans. (see also: we never made it to dinner). What I didn't count on was that we would spend the evening with Bernard Delis. He is the oyster man from Cap-Ferret, who brings oysters from the sea to Le Baron Rouge every weekend during oyster season. Not only was it my birthday, but it also marked the final weekend of oyster season. We over-celebrated both by eating oysters and drinking champagne in the street, like ya do.

5. Overflowing with love and abundance.

Although I was many miles away from the majority of my family and friends, I felt the incredible love vibes from afar. But especially on my birthday. I am so grateful for all of the phone calls, skype messages, birthday wishes on Facebook, birthday singing videos, emails, cards, surprise packages, gifts, and drunk dials. My cup runneth over.

I have one word for Mars: Merci!