I'm back! Summer is fading fast, and a new season of
busy-busy-busy is on the horizon. I'm sad to say goodbye to August -- it was an amazing month of blissful inactivity. For three weeks, we house-sat for friends while they traveled to the U.S. We were less than 30K outside of Lyon but it felt as if we were a million miles away. The house is nestled in a charming, quiet country village, surrounded by farmland and cornfields. It was so, so quiet.
So what did we do? Not much. We read books by the pool. Lori and I put together a 1000 piece puzzle of the Titanic (actually 992 pieces -- some were missing). We played Rummikub and Catch Phrase. We bundled up in blankets on clear nights and stargazed. Greg and I drank our morning coffee together on the patio each morning. We grilled burgers and eggplant and roasted marshmallows for S'mores. We exercised (Sean Vigue pilates & yoga for me, hard core P90X for Greg). We prayed together. We snuggled on the couch and watched movies. We laughed -- a lot. It was a glorious "reset."
Now we're back in our city apartment, and instead of waking to the soft sounds of birds, we awake to honking horns and sirens. I like and appreciate both lifestyles. I love the energy and "buzz" of a city, the easy access to shopping and amenities, but it's so necessary to escape at times to the peace and tranquility of the countryside. It gives the mind room to think and the soul room to breathe.
I'm refreshed, and ready to tackle "la rentrée" once again.
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| Too chilly to actually swim very much, but so nice to relax by the pool. |
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| The perfect patio for outdoor living |
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| Our "neighbors," the cornstalks |
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| More neighbors (actual human beings lived here in addition to veggie gardens) |
