Parlez peu, écoutez beaucoup, voyez tout et faites en sorte d'en profiter. Hear this in French and see the translation, below. (picture of my former "writing desk with a view". I just learned, yesterday, that we have an almond tree in our new back yard…after it bloomed this week!)
PROFITER
: make the most of
: enjoy
Click here to listen to today's word and phrase with "profiter"
Parlez peu, écoutez beaucoup, voyez tout et faites en sorte d'en profiter.
Speak little, listen a lot, see everything and make sure to enjoy it all.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE…
My father, known for his sunny disposition, swears his secret to happiness is the fact that he can't remember what happened yesterday. I get this forgetful trait from him (I would have preferred to inherit Dad's happy-go-lucky gene instead)!
When I can remember to, I try to exercise my mind before falling to sleep by using the age-old prière d'examen or examination of conscience. It is a review of the day in which one tries to glean lessons from the all the bumps and scrapes….as well as the high notes of the day!
(So enjoying the ideas in this book! Order here)
Such a day in review is a worthwhile and valuable tool or outil for living a more meaningful life. But a small snag (or two…) kept me from continuing this thoughtful practice throughout January: One, my memory (turns out ce n'est pas fastoche to remember every event of the day).
The other thing that deterred me from examining my day, was the rub-your-nose-in-it factor. The truth is, January got off to a bad start and I blame it all on jet lag. C'est tout la faute du décalage horaire! We landed in Marseilles in a million little pieces, just in time for my belle-mère's funeral, the next day. I'll never forget my sister-in-law meeting us at the airport. And my daughter's boyfriend was there too, to surprise her with a bouquet of flowers!
We all left the airport in two separate cars (the lovebirds in the other). I sat in the back seat as Cécile drove Jean-Marc and me home among the bistro lights in Marseilles (we'd gotten lost and were making our way out of the city's maze). Above us, the night surely held stars, but I could not see them from the backseat window. Already my mind was fogging over from exhaustion, dehydration, and grief. That, in a nutshell, is my excuse for January's grumpy beginnings–and the emotional scrapes that followed (how easy it is to take everything out on the person closest to you, the one you are wedlocked to!).
Through it all, my belle-mère's voice was as clear as the North Star: Ma Chérie, Ma Chérie. "My Dear, My Dear"….. Consoling, comforting, all-forgiving (if a little feisty at times: "You could have visited me more often!"). Yes, I certainly could have.
After my own feisty month, I'm ready to return to a nightly "day in review." I don't want to underestimate the littlest thing, bonne ou mauvaise, that happened across my path today. Not even the whisper in my mind, right now–the words my belle-mère spoke the last time I saw her: "My Dear, Enjoy your journey." Ma chérie, profite bien de ton voyage!
FRENCH VOCABULARY
un outil = tool
fastoche = easy
le décalage horaire = jet lag
la belle-mère = mother-in-law, stepmother
ma chéri(e) = my dear
bon(ne) = good
mauvais(e) = bad
profite de ton voyage = enjoy your journey
The Bonjour Effect: The Secret Codes of French Conversation Revealed. Click to order.
French Jacquard Dish Towels, order here.
Do you know the popular French breakfast drink, "Ricoré"? My belle-mère and I used to drink the 60/40 (chicory/coffee) mix all the time! You can order it, and many other French delectables here
Enjoying the beauty of a marvelous câprier or caper plant.
I leave you with a beautiful caper blossom. A bientôt!
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Good Morning Kristi,Sending this from my corner of the world in Canada where we await a snowstorm tonite but I’m one month away from my stay in Provence so can endure snow til then.. Might I suggest an alternative to your nitely practice , TO starting each day by counting three blessings or positives in your life.Before I hit the floor in the mornings I count three things going well in my life and can tell you this practice will insure optimism and happiness in your life. As a practicing Social Worker for 42 yrs can tell you clients always told me it was the best advice ever!!!!!Even in our darkest hours we do have blessings,sometimes we might need to dig deep to find them but they are there.My number one is my health and my mental health is always better when i count my blessings in life!!!!!
what kind of flower is pictured in the last photo? C’est jolie!
DEAR KRISTI
THE KEY IS RETURNING TO FRANCE IN APRIL, IT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE FRENCH BEAUTY PAULETTE AND GUS.
Oui, I agree with Jackie above. If there are any negatives to reflect on, night time is not the best time for that. Seems there’s always more beauty and joy in the morning.
Kristi – my memory is not as good as it used to so will paraphrase a recent thought I read on FB. All thing pass, some pass like kidney stones but all things pass. Plus gratitude journal just 3 things a day is life changing. Today I am grateful for you and the blue sky a d morning coffee. Hugs
The flower is the beautiful passion fruit.
For Mara:
It’s the flower of the caper, the shrub Kristi is admiring in the photo above.
Bonjour Kristi,
Je voudrais profiter de l’occasion pour vous remercier pour votre blog! How do you like that? Not bad, eh? 🙂
Love that first photo of your “former writing desk with a view”…..let’s see your present writing view! 🙂
Read the book Simple Abundance
“Enjoy your journey”……..beautiful and wise words from your belle-mere.
Those are the words I will be whispering before bed and upon wakening.
Thank you, Kristi for sharing your beautiful words!
While I could benefit from having a regular practice of reviewing my day, I think if I did it while in bed I’d never get to sleep. You’ve got me thinking, though. Perhaps each evening (earlier than bedtime) I should grab a journal and just list two or three positive things about the day and two or three things I would do differently. For me, when I get things on paper then they don’t weigh heavy on my mind. Have a great week and blessings to you and your family.
Chère Kristi,
I have loved following your blog and words over many years! I have also recommended it to many who wish to build on their French vocabulary. I also agree with Jackie above. I write 3 positives from my day in a Gratitude notebook on my commute home. I do on occasion miss a day or so, but it does help to redirect from the not so great events or even my overworked thoughts.
Avec amour
Merci beaucoup
I believe it is the flower of the caper plant! Lovely!
The caper blossom is beautiful. I wake up to morning coffee, served in bed to me, by the love of my life, my husband. As he raises the shades, the sunlight streams in through the windows, not all the time, since we live in Michigan. I then look outdoors to see the foliage, or lack of it, depending on the season, and I think, what a beautiful life I have. Then I spend time reading before my daily activities begin. It’s a great way to begin the day, as I look forward to all the special things I’m able to do the rest of the day, walking, swimming, writing, photography, playing the piano, listening to music, cooking. Of course, running a household is part of the daily routine.
Bonjour, Kristi! J’ai profiter beaucoup de votre blog; continuez, je vous prie.
Amicalement,
votre fan,
Louis
Jackie you are so utterly right! My gratitude practice has been far more effective and beneficial in changing my life than all the fault examinations I was taught. Gratitude provides a reservoir of thankfulness and energy and a strong creative attitude towards everything I face. It also projects a “quelque chose que je ne sais pas” to other people that seems to strengthen them as well.
I, too, have found gratitude especially helpful. Appreciation for the good things I have, plus a prayer to help specific other people in need as well as myself. It’s no coincidence that so much of Christian ritual consists of praising God and thanking him for his blessings.
Kristi, The opera Mannon by Massenet has a song with the lyrics, “Profitons bien de la jeunesse”. I enjoy the opera and especially that song. I had the privilege over 2 decades ago to hear it performed at the Vienna Opera House in Austria. Since then, I have understood the translation of “profiter” and now, malheursement, I am beginning to understand, a little too well, the sentiment expressed in that song. Amicalement,
Bill
Our dear Kristi,
Such a beautiful,thought provoking,and inspiring post!
Starting with your dear belle mere’s words,and agreeing in full with Jackie,Skylark,and Teresa.
Jesus told us(firstly),all is well;then,we MUST give thanks,even on the grayest of days,even if it is just for a cloud or a flower(and there are surely many more if we open our eyes to see).
Wonderful to know we are not alone!
Love
Natalia. XO
After reading The Happiness Advantage. my husband bought a little notebook and everyday wrote in it about things that he was grateful for! I think we all have something here!
Thank you, once again, for your unique and beautiful insights. They are always a joy, even when addressing profound loss. (I loved “the lovebirds”- the one phrase said it all : ) I wish there were a “like” function, so I could “like” the comments of your other correspondents. I appreciate what they have to say, too. Bisous!
What a beautiful, inspiring post! Thank you for the suggestion of starting the day with the savoring of three positives in my life. I will start doing that tomorrow!
Thanks so much, Kristi, for the beautiful photo of the caper blossom. I fell in love with caper blossoms when I lived in Italy…..they are truly exquisite!
I appreciate you and your blog so much! Thank you mille fois!
Bonjour – Hi from California,
Sad to hear that your wonderful Mom-in-law passed away, I am very sorry for you and your husband, and for all her loved ones…
She sure left you with some great words “Enjoy your journey my Darling”.
Wonderful comments and advice from your friends-readers…
My focus, meditation, love – whatever name you would want to call it, is to try to feel the joy and peace that we already have in us all the time. When I do, gratitude comes and it’s a sweet circle.
I started to write a comment because I felt I didn’t want to have just read today’s article but also let you know I did and appreciated it.
Really a wonderful thing you have going on with this sharing of your life with others who have automatically become friends. I fell in love with your first little book and have read it a few times. I’m French living in California with my darling American husband (my name, Laurence, is a woman’s name in French for those who may not know), and repeating a previous decade-long experience of living in a “foreign” country. The first time was in Germany. It makes me relate to all the little experiences you describe. I’m also a translator, even though I work mostly with other things at the moment.
All the best to All,
Jet-lag, difficult traveling days (comparted to the past when no one did), exhaustion, and grief. How can you profiter in that situation? Be kinder to yourself and it will flow out to others.
Living your life exactly the way you were meant to is perfect in every way! We all benefit from your human experiences, related with such raw honesty … and the insightful ripples that emanate around the world from your beautiful Spirit cannot be applauded more. Thank you for your Divine inspiration, dear Kristi!
I love your dad’s phrase – so much like my dad’s! “Say little, do much.”
J’ai decidé a lire (encore) tout tes livres avant retourner à France dans l’automne!
J’aime beaucoup les chaussures (sandals, actually!) que tu porte dan ta photo avec le câprier!
What brand are they? Where can we purchase some like them?
Amitiés,
Karla