Return to Maine
A brisk, quiet morning by the sea
To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
Looking Ahead
I have the illusion of full functioning this morning after a long journey home yesterday from Nice. Those six skipped time zones will no doubt catch up with me before the day is out. So here goes.
On awakening, I had a strong impulse to switch gears for my Morning Journal and Substack newsletter. Starting next week, I will create and upload them on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday instead of every weekday.
That will leave Tuesday and Thursday for my France-inspired new art project: cooking.
I plan to create one decent meal on each of those days, maybe even inviting some guests. I will begin with Pam and Marie, who live here in Old Orchard Beach and shared the cooking lesson we had with chef Noel in Vence.
At the Nice airport yesterday I found a copy of an unusual book I’ve been reading on my Kindle in English, Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One, by Raphaelle Giordano. It’s a self-help book masquerading as a novel, and I love it.
I couldn’t find the original French version online. So it was exciting to see a single copy at the Relay shop near our gate at the Nice airport. The French title is Ta Deuxième Vie Commence Quand Tu Comprends Que Tu N’en As Qu’une.
Published in 2015, the book sold 3 million copies in France and has been translated into many other languages.
Giordano is 50 years old. She worked in advertising and PR, did some painting, and conducted personal-growth workshops. Your Second Life catapulted her into prominence for her original blend of fiction and self-help.
I like the French version, because it puts the motivating bromides in boldface type. That way you can thumb back through the book and find pearls like this:
Faire vive votre sourire interieur. Bring your interior smile to life.
That one resonates with me. Sometimes when I meditate, it seems as if an inner smile of contentment and hope emerges from the silence.
The book’s main characters are Claude Dupontel, a “routinologue” whose work is to help people break out of negative routines to find happiness. His student is Camille, a 30-something hot mess eager to try his exercises and thought experiments.
So in addition to cooking some Noel-inspired meals, practicing le laconisme of the late actor Alain Delon, and not reading while I eat, my post-trip spiritual work will include finishing the story of Claude and Camille.
Et voilà.
It’s great to travel.
And it’s great to return home with souvenirs and a few new intentions.
We'll miss your Tuesday and Thursday check-ins yet understand the desire to shift the focus to a new exploration. Perhaps you can post photos of your culinary creations.
Len, I think you already practice the lessons of the book. I didn’t know of it and will buy one when I get back to France.