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French for “To go beyond one’s limits”

Love Well (c) Kristin Espinasse

The painted sign reads: "To live well, love well, and let the others say what they will!" Pour bien vivre, bien aimer, et laisser dire

 se sublimer (seuh-soo-blee-may)

    : to transcend oneself, to go beyond one's limits

Audio File: listen to today's word in the following story, written and read aloud by Jean-Marc! Download MP3 or Wav file

A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE… by Kristin Espinasse

(Note: I am away for a few weeks. Today's story is a rerun. Enjoy!)

"Un jour dans la vie d’écrivain de Kristi…" by Jean-Marc
A Day in Kristi's Writing Life… by Jean-Marc
. 
Aujourd’hui, je voudrai vous parler de ce qu’est le quotidien de notre chère écrivain.
Today, I want to talk to you about what is a typical day in the life of our dear writer.

Kristi se lève vers 6H le matin, ouvre la porte pour que Smokey (qui alors aboie et réveille toute la maison), puis Braise sortent quelques minutes) puis, elle va gentillement nous préparer le thé.
Kristi wakes up around six in the morning, opens the door so that Smokey (who then barks and wakes up the whole house), and then Braise, can go out a few minutes) then she kindly prepares us tea.

Ensuite, elle revient dans notre chambre pour boire le thé, consulter ses emails sans malheureusement pouvoir y répondre car c'est bientôt l'heure d'écrire son édition.
Next, she returns to our room to drink the tea, to consult her emails, without, unfortunately being able to respond to them for it is soon time to begin her edition.

C’est au tour de Jackie et Max de se lever et alors que je vais accompagner Maxime au bus, c’est Kristi qui le plus souvent s’occupe d’amener Jackie à l’école. 
Now it's time for Jackie and Max to get up and while it is I who takes Max to the bus, it's most often Kristi who takes care of getting Jackie to school.

Il est 8 H 30 et Kristi, le plus souvent, n’a toujours pas idée de ce qu’elle va écrire. Pour elle, l’inspiration est souvent synonyme d’improvisation.
It is 8:30 and Kristi, most often, still has no idea what she's going to write. For her, inspiration is often synonymous with improvisation.

Ce léger stress et la pression de devoir écrire une édition la plus parfaite en moins de quatre heures, tout en ayant à inclure sponsors, photos, messages vocaux, est une réelle prouesse d’artiste, surtout lorsque cela se produit en moyenne trois fois par semaine. 
This slight stress and the pressure to have to write the best edition in less than four hours, all the while including sponsors, photos, vocal messages, is a true prowesse of the artist, especially when this is reproduced, in general, around three times a week.

Dans ce délicat exercice, elle a le don de se sublimer pour produire une histoire qui va elle, engendrer un moment de bonheur à ses lecteurs.
In this delicate exercise, she has the gift of transcending herself in order to produce a story that will itself engender a moment of happiness for her readers.

Pendant ce temps là, Kristi a un grand besoin de calme et ne se donne que quelques courtes pauses pour aller grignoter un fruit.
During this time, Kristi has a real need for calm, and she only gives herself a few short breaks to go and snack on some fruit.
Une fois l’édition terminée, elle prépare notre déjeuner, va faire balader les chiens et puis, après avoir mangé son repas, elle va décompresser par une petite "sacro-sainte" sieste.
Once her edition is finished, she fixes our lunch, goes to walk the dogs and then, after eating her lunch, she goes to decompress by a little sacred nap.
 
Vient ensuite l’heure de lire les commentaires qui sont pour elle la récompense des efforts fournis dans la matinée. Elle va ensuite avoir un tout petit peu de temps pour répondre aux très nombreux emails et de s'occuper de nos enfants, de rencontrer quelques amis, de tenir la maison propre…
Next up, it is time to read the story comments which are for her the reward for her morning efforts. She'll then have a little time left to respond to numerous emails and to take care of our kids, meet with friends, and keep the house clean.

Voilà, je pensais vous pourriez savoir à quoi ressemble une journée type dans la vie de votre écrivain. Comme vous le voyez, cela ne lui laisse pas beaucoup de temps de loisirs.
So there you have it, I thought you might like to know just what a typical day looks like in the life of your writer. As you can see, it doesn't leave a lot of time for leisure.
. 
Aussi, j’espère que vous serez indulgents si elle ne répond pas toujours aux très nombreux emails qu’elle reçoit. Sachez néanmoins qu’ils sont tous lus et appréciés.
Also, I hope you'll be indulgent if she doesn't always respond to the numerous emails that she receives. Know, however, that they are all read and appreciated.
. 
Même si Kristi travaille énormément, elle se considère privilégiée de pouvoir être en contact avec de si nombreux lecteurs qui ont tous également du talent, de la sagesse et un grande âme.
Even if Kristi works alot, she considers herself priviledged to be able to be in contact with so many readers who all have, equally, talent, wisdom and great souls.

You've Got Mail! (c) Kristin Espinasse
Jean-Marc, standing next to a mailbox at our cousin's house near Aix. When André and Annie (aunt- and uncle-in-law) hung their boîte à lettres one this magical plane tree… the tree responded by reaching out… for the longest hug in history (it took a decade or two to complete the hug!) Maybe someone should contact the Guiness Book of Records?

French christmas musicA reader favorite for the holidays:
French Christmas Music: "Mon Beau Sapin", "Saint Nuit", "La Marche des Rois", "Petite Ville Bethléem", "Il est né Le Divin Enfant". Order CD here.

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60 thoughts on “French for “To go beyond one’s limits””

  1. Bonjour!
    What a delight to read and understand more about your life, Kristin and Jean-Marc.
    Have a great time wherever you may be!
    And I loved the picture! Now that is what I call a real “Tree Hugger”!

    Reply

  2. Bonjour!
    What a delight to read and understand more about your life, Kristin and Jean-Marc.
    Have a great time wherever you may be!
    And I loved the picture! Now that is what I call a real “Tree Hugger”!

    Reply

  3. Merci, Jean-Marc, for giving us a verbal photo of a day in the life of your precious wife. What a challenge to do that daily! A writer’s life is never easy and it takes a lot of energy plus an understanding family. So glad Kristi has both. Happy holiday, Kristi, and don’t forget to sneak some pumpkin pie into your life in thanksgiving.

    Reply

  4. Merci, Jean-Marc, for giving us a verbal photo of a day in the life of your precious wife. What a challenge to do that daily! A writer’s life is never easy and it takes a lot of energy plus an understanding family. So glad Kristi has both. Happy holiday, Kristi, and don’t forget to sneak some pumpkin pie into your life in thanksgiving.

    Reply

  5. I always enjoy Kristi’s comments, observations and feelings. Enjoy your time in Az and wherever else, and Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you, JM, for your description of Kristi’s day.

    Reply

  6. I always enjoy Kristi’s comments, observations and feelings. Enjoy your time in Az and wherever else, and Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you, JM, for your description of Kristi’s day.

    Reply

  7. This was terrific. Jean Marc’s assessment of your day Kristi was said with such love and tenderness. The nice thing about it is really sounds like he knows exactly what you do…How many men can say that about their wives? There seems to be such good energy in your family and your children will carry that forward, differently, but they will bring it into their lives as well…This is a season for celebrating family…you all have much to celebrate.

    Reply

  8. This was terrific. Jean Marc’s assessment of your day Kristi was said with such love and tenderness. The nice thing about it is really sounds like he knows exactly what you do…How many men can say that about their wives? There seems to be such good energy in your family and your children will carry that forward, differently, but they will bring it into their lives as well…This is a season for celebrating family…you all have much to celebrate.

    Reply

  9. Jean-Marc, I thoroughly enjoyed your story, and was glad for a longer audio file than usual. I’d be pleased to listen to more stories in the future.
    Kristin, I echo Jean-Marc’s (and readers’) appreciation for all you do. It is so easy to take your efforts for granted; what is done behind the scenes may not be apparent, but we know how hard you work to bring FWAD to us. Never feel compelled, but be aware that we are grateful.

    Reply

  10. Jean-Marc, I thoroughly enjoyed your story, and was glad for a longer audio file than usual. I’d be pleased to listen to more stories in the future.
    Kristin, I echo Jean-Marc’s (and readers’) appreciation for all you do. It is so easy to take your efforts for granted; what is done behind the scenes may not be apparent, but we know how hard you work to bring FWAD to us. Never feel compelled, but be aware that we are grateful.

    Reply

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