The End of Summer

Je suis amoureuse de la France. I have been for almost a decade. There is something about the differences in our culture which ignites a passion in me. A need to know, to understand, to compare, to explore…
Speaking of passion, I threw out a few needs into the universe lately and it responded in a very creative fashion! Not what I had asked for, but what I received filled the need regardless. Technology enabled me to get in contact with ghosts from the past… ghosts whom I thought I had left indifferent… and with time, I have been proven wrong! I think I need to thank you Danny, and you Trond, and most recently Fabrizio… for creatively letting me know that the explanations I had created in my mind needed to be nuanced somewhat.
Its been an interesting week. We rented a beautiful chalet for three days and took the kids away from city life to mark the end of summer. Morgen and Swany started high school last week… pigtails have been traded in for a sharp looking uniform; we bought them laptops, books, everything that is needed for this first fore ray into adulthood. Matis switched daycares… he is now in a more formal setting in preparation for kindergarten… and it is going relatively well… except for the few instances where we’ve been told he sometimes gets broccoli in his ears (code for he’s not listening really well)…
I started out this year with the intent to live it as if it were my last (and I hope its truly not…what I wanted to do was to create a setting for a carefree Val, who strives shamelessly to make all of her whims and desires to transpire). This summer was truly spectacular in this regard. We spared no expense on the new house. I did not even look at a bill or try to bargain hunt. If it looked good and made us happy, we bought it. During our week’s vacation in Hong Kong I behaved the same way. A massage every day? Why not! I work hard the rest of the year!!!!
Funny enough, even if I fulfilled my every whim in the last 9 months, I am not broke. I am just less stressed about money. Perhaps the laws of the Universe (and Deepak Chopra) have more truth to them than I originally believed.
But it wasn’t only just materialistic pleasures…. The Timberman 70.3 ironman was a wonderful physical and mental challenge. I loved training for it, I loved being in it, and I can’t wait to do a full next year. I am meant to be in motion. Perhaps it’s my way to meditate… bike, run, swim…. Never do I feel better then when I finish a training, no matter it’s intensity.
So vacation is over, we have moved into the new house, the girls have started high school, I did my ironman, and this last week, I got somewhat of a surgical enhancement…. It’s been planned for a while now. I still can’t believe I went through with it. I didn’t really need it, but I wanted it. Now its done. When the pain and the swelling completely subside, I will see if it was worth the effort. Which brings me back to my love of France and all things French…..
I need new goals!