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Today's Word: l'oisivité
L'oisiveté rend à la fin le travail difficile
Idleness makes work difficult in the end.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
The only thing harder than writing…is not writing. Now there is a thought that has been on my mind all summer, as I try to decide just when to take a break from this 18-year-old blog–this ongoing chronicle of our life in France.
What will happen if I don't write for a fortnight? A month? A year? At worst I would implode. At best I would lose the hang of things, lose ground, making this colossal effort of expression even harder. And we all know:
The only thing harder than working…is NOT working, or, as the French saying goes: L'oisiveté rend à la fin le travail difficile. Idleness makes work difficult in the end.
Difficile…this brings me to a few lines that poured out of somewhere and into my thoughts while out on a walk this morning. I hope they make sense to you, as they made sense to me at the time (oftentimes what makes crystal clear, lightening bright sense to me while out on a walk–after two cups of coffee–makes no sense to me later on). Here are those initial thoughts, and the ideas that followed:
The only thing harder than writing…is NOT writing.
The only thing harder than running…is NOT running.
For just as the runner begins to get agitated/disturbed because he has not run, the writer suffers the words he has not expressed. This last thought brought me beyond writing:
The only thing harder than love…is NOT loving.
The only thing harder than truth…is NOT the truth (untruth).
The only thing harder than listening…is NOT listening.
The only thing harder than giving…is NOT giving.
The only thing harder than caring…is NOT caring.
…because these NOTS will eventually form KNOTS, stemming the flow of life and love….
I leave you now and invite you to share a few "The only thing harder than…. is NOT…." in the comments. I look forward to reading your words and will be back sometime in the next month…I just have to decide when!
(The only thing harder than deciding…is NOT deciding.)
Wherever you are on your path, I hope these words help.
Amicalement,
Kristi
Relaxing with family. Thank you, Cousin Sabine, for the photo at Cousin Audrey's.
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The only thing harder than silence is not having silence.
The only thing harder than
doing what you want
to do is not doing
what you want to do.
Enjoy!
Chere Kristi,
Congratulations on your decision to take some time for yourself. Although your inspiring essays are a gift to us and touch our hearts, it is essential for you to do self-care. This is your work, hence it has stress and pressure and I’m sure much writing and re-writing. So God bless you during this time off. Relax, pamper yourself, do everything you want or nothing at all. And when you’re ready, come back refreshed and rejuvenated and know you will always have your “fans”. The only thing harder than taking time for yourself is NOT taking time for yourself.
The only thing harder than persevering is not persevering.
Thank you, Kristi, for sharing your wisdom with us yet again. It’s very timely for me. I agree with what another reader wrote above, that we all need to disconnect from time to time. I think you might find, while away from French-Word-a-Day, that you might still feel the urge to write. That urge might be stronger than ever. What will be different is that you will have the choice to write down your ideas for yourself, without the pressure to share them with us, and that is a powerful practice in and of itself. Enjoy your break to the maximum. We will miss you and look forward to reading your words again, whenever you’re ready to return.
Ce n’est pas l’oisiveté de consciemment prendre bien soin de toi-même, de reposer, de prendre plaisir en ta vie. Tu le mérites ! (Souviens-tu le pub de McDonald’s : « Tu mérites une pause aujourd’hui ! » ?)
Je me souviens avec grand plaisir notre visite en La Ciotat ! J’espère que tu prendras autant de temps que nécessaire.
I loved every word of this post. Hope you will enjoy a relaxing and peaceful break. I imagine that you will find yourself writing even if you are not posting your thoughts.
Hard to imagine not having French Word-a-Day in my INBOX. Since I’m not sure if the only thing harder than saying “Au Revoir” is not saying it, I will say instead “A la prochaine –whenever that might be, bonnes vacances, et bon courage.”
Wow – very true. I do not have faith, and during the tough times in my life I wished I had faith. My friends and family who do have faith just seem to be comforted by it during the trials of life. I envy that.
The only thing harder than yoga is not doing yoga.
Could you share your life simply with “Whatever catches your eye? I think that would convey the beauty you see in like and can be shared in photos on Instagram for sure and Facebook. Here is an example of someone who does just that: 543 posts
@skyerider
543 posts
262 followers
767 following
DGMorgan
Whatever catches my eye
I think you can share beauty you observe in this way much easier. Then write a book at without stress if you need to something creative to share…could even write a story be it fiction.
skyerider’s profile picture
skyerider
762 followers
767 following
DGMorgan
Whatever catches my eye
Followed by ralffeyl
Dear Kristi,
What an amazing response from your readers. You touch our lives in such a wonderful, positive way. But you need time to live your own life. I have always thought you need to live life to write about it. Go…enjoy…and love life. We will be here when you come back. ♥️
PS. Perhaps you could tell your readers about your
overflowing Archives where they can delight in so
many stories and maybe understand you more in
your long jjournaling journey.
Hope your family stays safe, especially Jackie
In Florida…
The only thing harder than making a decision is NOT making a decision.
Bon chance
I follow Maria Shriver online. She takes an August break from her writing and publishing every year… so very French of her. Perhaps you follow her lead and take August off to récharger!!
Missing you very much, Kristi. I hope you’re having a lovely time and I hope you’ll return to us soon.