Jean-Marc, right, and friends at one of the wine shop's events. Read on for some big news regarding my husband.
TODAY'S PHRASE: "se lancer dans l'inconnu"
: to strike out into the unknown
EXAMPLE SENTENCE & AUDIO FILE
Listen to all the French words in today's story by clicking on the sound file below. Then scroll to the vocabulary section and check your comprehension.
Se lancer dans l'inconnu, c'est un heureux cocktail d'enthousiasme, d'inconfort, de peur, de fierté. On est déstabilisé, parce que nos repères changent. Il y a cette forte sensation que tout peut arriver. To strike out into the unknown is a happy cocktail of enthusiasm, discomfort, fear and pride. We are destabilized because our reference points change. There is this strong feeling that anything can happen.
-from the blog Ouvrir Une Porte
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
A New Chapter in Chief Grape's Life
I have just returned from another stick hunt and boy did I hit the foraging jackpot today! C'est dommage Jean-Marc was not able to join in on the fun. He had to leave early for work and miss our morning stroll.
Raindrops began falling as I arranged all the wooden bâtons on our steps for drying. I quickly snapped a picture to cheer my husband. He is not as sparked as I am for each found stick, but that's because joy hasn't come easy for him this past year. Still, he is happy when I am happy and these days we are shooting for each other's happiness. A target worth aiming for wouldn't you say? If only we had fully comprehended The Happiness Secret sooner. Tant pis…
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
Il n'est jamais trop tard pour devenir ce que nous aurions pu être.
Thank you, George Eliot, for that hopeful thought. I will share it with my husband on this, the eve of a major change in his life. And now, sans plus attendre, some big news: Jean-Marc has sold his wine shop! The complicated transaction has kept him suspended in a Never-Never land for 9 months. But now he's been delivered, or almost. (His last day at the shop is January 5th.)
So the start of the New Year corresponds to a new chapter in our lives. While Jean-Marc is itching to move somewhere, anywhere, I am digging my feet in this time. But I will try to keep open-hearted, about further changes, as he strikes out into the unknown unsure of what's next.
Se lancer dans l'inconnu…
And now a question for you, dear reader. Did you strike out into the unknown later in life? Will you share, in the comments here, the positive changes that happened to you during/after a middle-age crisis? Did you switch careers? Move out of the country? Learn a new skill?
Did you live the truth in George Eliot's words, It is never too late to be what you might have been? Or did you discover that who you might have been was there all along?
As we pause to think about who we are becoming, I'll bid you good day. Madame Who I Might Have Been is itching to go outside and enjoy another exploratory ramble through the neighborhood. Instead of sticks, I could switch it up…and collect smiles this time (my mom's favorite sport: "Smile and see who smiles back at you!"). Ah, evolution!
Amicalement,
Kristi
Don't miss the book A Very French Christmas, "this collection encapsulates the holiday spirit and proves that the French have mastered Christmas."
FRENCH VOCABULARY
se lancer dans l'inconnu = to strike out into the unknown
c'est dommage = it's too bad
le bâton = stick
tant pis! = never mind
sans plus attendre = without further delay
Il n'est jamais trop tard pour devenir ce que nous aurions pu être = It is never too late to be what you might have been.
Read about the opening of Jean-Marc's wine shop. Click below.
Sweet of the Week, No 3: French Yogurt Cake. Need an easy cake for Christmas? Simply spruce up this simple French yogurt cake! Add cranberries and pecans to the mix or candied orange and chocolate. This dessert became our go-to gâteau the day my brother-in-law, Jacques, made it for one of our family gatherings. Yogurt Cake Recipe here. Enjoy and un Joyeux Noël to all!
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Dear Kristi,
Jean-Marc is definitely a start-up guy.
He has created what looks like an incredible wine shop, now ready to move on to the next challenge? I applaud him for the courage to do that, and you for having the courage to be so supportive of him. Some thrive on change and some thrive on stability. Change can be scary for either…
George and I made major changes later in life. At age 44, I tried my first attempt at a 16 year career. At age 48, George changed from a 26 year career in the military to a 22 year civilian career. It is amazing how we eventually adjust to new ways and benefit from them, perhaps because we must.
We wish you and Jean-Marc a shared vision, a new accomplishment and ultimately inner peace as you move forward!
And…Happy Birthday, Kristi! 🎉
May all the good you offer to others come back to you…
Well, just a thought but if you really want a change of scenery, move to central Texas. Seems like there’s a new vineyard or wine shop every week, somewhere in the area, and I can’t help wondering if most of them know anything about grapes or wine!
Of course, there’s no beach… the Mediterranean must be spectacular, and there’s nothing on the Texas Gulf coast that could ever compare for someone from there. Good luck, whatever your next adventure is!
Bravo for your courage, Gail. And my deepest condolences on the loss of your husband of 59 years. Bon courage and bon voyage a France!
Felicitations Kristi et Jean-Marc! I love all of these encouraging comments from your readers. We are cheering you on knowing, as someone said, you and Jean-Marc always land on your feet, with God’s help and guidance. Les nouvelles aventures vous attendant! Bon courage!
lim·i·nal
/ˈlimənəl/
adjective
1.
occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold:
“I was in the liminal space between past and present”
This word has been on my mind a lot, as it keeps popping up in my life as I am on the verge of retirement-living in Seattle area. “Where to go? What to do? “ I have lived in many States and abroad, but my 4 kids call here home-although they don’t all live in area now. So, I am going to go with Kristina’s question “How does it get better than this?”
Your stories have all been SO inspiring and I have loved reading them!
Good luck to you in your decisions!
Change is always interesting, n’est-ce pas, even if it can be uncomfortable. I enjoyed your latest blog post, Kristi, and hope that all works out well eventually for the both of you.
Having struck a blow for change a few times in my life, the biggest were going back to uni as a mature age student in my 50s, continuing until I’d finished my PhD. A couple of years later, I moved to Hong Kong for an adventure, teaching English in a small Chinese primary school on an outlying island.
Ten years later (!), I moved back to Australia and am now enjoying retirement. Loads of things to do and it’s so nice to have the time to do them all. Language study is high up there – I’d already been studying French and Italian for some years, and Japanese intermittently. Now working on German and Indonesian. Good for the brain, although it can get a little confusing at times.
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année à vous.
Oops, mature age student years started in my 40s. Not 50s.
Kristi,
Bon courage. You also seem to land on your feet. Change might be scary, but then again, it can be just what is needed. I had a career teaching and then as an adjunct professor, so career changes aren’t in my portfolio, but many people that I know have had many changes of careers and seem to also come out ahead. Think positively and pray to help calm any anxieties which might arise.
I was planning to visit MJ’s wine shop this fall, but alas, that will not happen. We will be in Provence the end is August and beginning of September. We will be there for our 21st anniversary. Maybe we can connect again during out visit.
Merry Christmas nd Happy New Year.
Peace, Kathleen
Dear Kristi,
This is an exciting, yet somewhat apprehensive time for you. Opportunities abound and you are just the person who can adapt and prosper. Thank you for so many beautiful blogs that let us, your readers, peek into your lives. The best is yet to come!
May the love and peace of the season fill your heart and lead you and Jean-Marc and Jule toward your next adventure.
Chère Kristi ,
j’ai adoré l’épisode avec Smokey quand tu as préparé le gâteau yaourt- il était un vrai star de cinéma! C’était aussi amusante en utilisant la boite pour ajouter “grossièrement “ les mesures!
Je te souhaite Joyeux Noël et bravo ,Jean -Marc!
Bisous, Barbara
Thanks, Barbara. I regret he didn’t have his own cooking show. 💕
Thank you, Dana, for the definition of liminal. Wonderful to learn. Bonne chance!
At 57, my husband gave up his law practice and I left my corporate executive job. We bought a bed and breakfast in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We had never stayed in a B&B. We wanted flexibility and independence in our lives. We did not know when we bought it that we would end up having to replace every square inch of the place…plumbing, roof, mattresses, furniture, stove…and so on and on. We did this while welcoming guests and learning how to make a really nice breakfast. We actually ended up being on the cover of Coastal Living magazine. What we learned is that if you love what you do it isn’t work Looking back at it, at age 75, we actually reinvented ourselves about every 10 years. We ran the B&B for 11 years and now we’re retired. I wish you well. If you need encouragement, please reach out. Joyeux noel!
May many glorious and unexpected blessings abound in the New Year 🙏 🎉🥳 for you, your beautiful family, and your faithful readers who inspire all of us with their compelling life stories. (My favorite one was getting a law degree to help Native American Indians with legal problems! Change can bring about noble causes and new growth all around.)
Peace, Peace, and Peace ❤️
My husband left his job in engineering and we bought an Indian restaurant .. no, he is not Indian, but an avid cook. Every night he watched and worked in the restaurant with the former owner and learned the ropes. Then we closed for 2 weeks to revamp the decor and reopened to spectacular local interest. To put it mildly, we were hammered on opening night! But we lived through the experience and kept it going successfully for 3 years, which was the game plan as we had booked a 3 month European tour and planned to sell. But best laid plans! I was diagnosed with breast cancer so our plans to sell sort of collapsed. We just closed it and went on our trip after I completed treatment. While it was a rollercoaster ride, we are glad we did it.
hello, Kristi: I am so encouraged by your own blog & by all the comments I’ve read; you have encouraged me to start writing my own blog (primarily to keep up with people from the past & those I love whom I haven’t seen for a while). I, too, have changed my life; being married for 10 years, 3 beautiful children, I knew it wasn’t all I needed or wanted. Perhaps, selfishly, I left everything & everyone & struck out on my own. Many years of pain without my girls; but, over the course of life, much has been resolved & life certainly changed for all of us. I met the man of my now 31 year marriage who encouraged me to go back to school; I did & received a BS & MS in Health & Nutrition. So, George Eliot has it right; as does Jean Marc! Congratulations on the sale of the shop; . I look forward to your writing & all the people who offer such insightful comments! Amicalmente, Ann Sorocki Bonne Annee! May we all know good health & peace!!!
Chere Kristi,
I am inspired by all the stories, and I too changed careers at 46, went back for another degree, and re-imagined my life after the death of my husband. It can be exhilarating to see a new path. I wish you both peace and time to plan the next steps. I save lots of inspirational quotes and found this one: Everything has potential to be exactly what you want! The quote is one I wrote years ago…and it is true. Be open to advice and counsel from those who love you both. Bonne chance! Arlene
I retired after 31 years with the government and my husband and I came to France with our two dogs for three months as a well deserved retirement present. We decided it was two short a time and went back to Texas to put our affairs in order, store our possessions and rent out our house. We then came back to France with the dogs in tow and lived in four different places (one place twice) in the Brittany and Normandy area. After ten months we decided we wanted to stay, cancelled our plane tickets home and arranged with a former proprietor to lease his house indefinitely in the port of Cancale. That was in 2014 and end of story, we are still here.