TODAY'S FRENCH WORDS: Bon bout d'an!
: Happy end of the year!
ECOUTEZ/LISTEN to Jean-Marc pronouce these words: Download MP3 or Wav
Bon bout d'an. Il est de tradition, en Provence, de souhaiter un "bon bout d'an" à la fin de l'année. Happy end of the year. It is a tradition, in Provence, to wish a "good end of the year" at the end of the year.
MAS DE PERDRIX. A home in France that artists and writers love to rent. Work on your creative project in this inspiring environment.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE….
The end of the year is quickly approaching and I ask myself the same tormenting question: What to write about?
Instead of worrying too much about the answer, maybe I can stop and give thanks. Especially thanks to you for taking the time to read my stories. If it weren't for this journal and your readership I would not have the motivation to write. And though I still don't know if I love writing (writing which so often incarnates itself as a living, breathing pest or a mean gym coach always shouting, "One more situp!" I do enjoy the freedom that writing gives, a release from so many fragmented sentences that occupy my mind at the approach of another deadline. The worst is how most of those sentence fragments never pan out. And the story is swept back into the abyss, like a child swept out to sea.
Thinking about it–all those unfinished sentences clambering in my mind–they all might go away if I changed careers in the new year! Gone would be the writing deadline, and that would be that!
But isn't that the lazy man's attitude? Which brings me to the realization, finally, of why I write: because the discipline is good for me, and because, overall, writing is a positive exercise.
I didn't mean to talk about writing, in this, the last post of the year. But doing so makes me realize…. (I was going to go on, but, on second thought, that is not a fragmented or unfinished sentence, that last one. It is a full stop answer. To fully appreciate its meaningfulness, I'll pause now and look up the definition….)
to realize: to understand and to become aware of something.
Oui! C'est ça!
Wishing each of you a bon bout d'an, as we say in our neck of the Provencal woods. May you realize many things in the new year! And may these awarenesses help you and help others too.
Amicalement,
Kristi
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COMMENTS
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Thank you, Andrea!
Karen, Thank you for your encouragements, and for your thoughtfulness! Wishing you, Bob and your family a wonderful new year!
A friend just forwarded me Aretha Franklin at the Kennedy Center Honors singing “A Natural Woman”. Don’t ask me how this relates to your post except that it is also inspiring. It is on YouTube and I am too klutzy to know how to send a link. She picked up my spirits at a hard time. I am grateful to her.
Bon bout d’an to all.
Leslie
Hello Kristi,
Même si je ne puis écrire un commentaire très souvent, je lis chaque fois vos posts avec délectation.
And I want to let you know how refreshing they are !
One O² bubble !!
Thank you for all your (writing) work which was surely rather hard when your beloved Breizh passed away… and when you faced that struggle for your “stay” in France.
I then realized that you had a strong character.
For you, your family and families, your friends here and overseas and everyone reading and commenting (or not) your posts :
“Bon bout d’An et à l’an qué ven, se sian pas maï que seguen pas men !”
Looking forward to reading you in 2016 (for sure)
Elisabeth (from Marseille, living in Salernes as you know and enjoying a family reunion in the Jura for this end of 2015 !)
And pls, forgive my mistakes…
Bon Année Kristin. The best to all of your family in the coming year. And don’t feel like you have to apologize for writing about writing. What writer doesn’t do that occasionally since it is so dear to his or her heart. We’re all lucky that you keep wanting to tell us stories.
That picture of you and Smokey-Dokey is one of my favorite that you’ve ever posted. So much life in it.
Your pictures of Smokey and his mom through the years have made me smile so many times.
In like the way you often stick one in at the end.
Thank you so much
Sheila