French finale

There's really nothing I didn't love about France on our trip. Granted, we only visited a very small part of the country...but it was the perfect place to be introduced and get a taste of french living. I gained a new perspective on so many things while we were there bringing me back home refreshed, relaxed and ready for another adventure back to this beautiful country.

When we left for France I had been experiencing back pain for over a year. It was pretty miserable and I had tried every possible avenue to figure out what was going on. Between the doctor visits, the physical therapy and the acupuncture nothing was really solving my problem. Nothing that is, until I arrived in France. Call me crazy ~ but France was my therapy, and not only because I was on holiday....but because of where I was on holiday.

Our french adventures really made a huge impact on me and taught me some lessons that are leading my life in a new direction.

French Lesson #1:

Food. It should be local. It should be fresh. It should be savored and eaten slowly with wine and good company...always.

French Lesson #2:

Slowwwww down. The energy and pace of life in So. France is comfortably slower. People aren't rushing here and there to fit 100 errands into their days. The farming tractors are rolling through town, people are tending to their work and chores but not it a hurried manner. It is something I am constantly reminding myself as even when I put my mind in a more relaxed state, just outside my door the energy & busy-ness of life is zooming by.

French Lesson #3:

Rest is good. Not just the evening snooze, but a break in the midafternoon gives a chance to (again) slow down, regroup, connect with yourself. I loved that the shops & restaurants would shut down for a couple hours after lunch. So different from my experiences in the states, where the drive of life is purely business~profits~sales.

French Lesson #4:

Laughter for hours on end makes my face hurt...and I like it. This lesson really has very little to do with France itself, but was such a good reminder while I was there. Being in a foreign country with 5 other women was the best! We laughed for days (mostly at ourselves) and formed bonds that will always be remembered & cherished.

Life changing, it was.