Thank you! The red door was (finally!) open on my penultimate walk with Jamie and inside was found a fraction of a wall painting depicting Eleanor of Aquitaine and her 2nd husband on horseback and I was overjoyed.
Omg, love it! I live in Italy and one of the greatest things about being here is finding unexpected beauty in unexpected (or expected) places. I’m enthralled by antiquity.
Well one must do *something* with pain. Might as well laugh at it. And I’m glad you think I have a literary *gift*. Makes me think I haven’t lost may ability to write after all this time.
Glorious. You've written MY days better than I could've written them myself. And thanks to you being here, I am eating better and healthier and quite possibly snacking a bit less - well there is the single teaspoon of nocciolata on grain bread I eat in your company each morning - as I, too, struggle to lose the few trouser-tightening pounds I put back on since I hurt my ankle in December. And in return, you are helping me navigate the writing of and the obsessing over my Substack. I'm really glad you are here.
Ya know, we're all gonna hold you to that new SF routine you're talking about... But all you need is 3-4 weeks of it and it will be habit. Good luck, and enjoy revising your home routine. I've been doing a lot of that lately, for shit reasons, but still to my benefit. There's joy to be found in it.
We often have *shit* reasons for doing good things! I think I’ll be more or less successful in my new routine-- pulling myself out of my comfort zone and living a glorious (if temporary) life abroad has reminded me that there is a vast universe beyond my apartment door...
I'm on a multi-year, multi-pronged effort to get a good effing night's sleep regularly. It takes many, many actions (or restraint-from-actions). I'll probably nail it by the time I drop dead.
Allow me to summarize what I've learned so far: simplicity. Less work, less medication, less alcohol (none, in my case). More work = more stress, more stress = more self-medicating.
We tend to make everything harder than it needs to be, in large part because other people make money off of making our lives more complicated. And less hasn't made me a slob. I'm in KILLER shape, and my cardio is 20 minutes of rowing machine 3x a week, and soon I'll add walks back into my life at least once a week.
Maybe I should make an app so I can make money off of this advice! JK. Couple sentences is enough.
Not to be pedantic, oh who am I kidding, but the homosexual conquest of the rainbow began *45* years ago when Gilbert Baker designed the flag in 1978 at the behest of Harvey Milk.
I love the subconscious.. You start writing about your Dad's comment about your backside and then food.. And voilá! Your brain takes you to a deep connection within yourself. I find writing to be very cathartic for just that reason. So glad you and Jamie are together and working and walking and cooking together right now. Glad I got to visit and see you two in situ. Those are some fun words.
I'm so enjoying your descriptions of Chinon. I think the fresh walnuts were my favorite part of the breakfast spread--next to Jamie's jams. Sometimes a change of scenery/country/habit is just what we need to jolt us out of complacency. I'm hoping to take off the weight I put on over winter when I head back to Italy. Our town is hilly and our house is at the top, so while it's an easy walk down to the café, market, and shops, it's a steep climb back up. We still can't figure out whether buying this place was a good or bad move...
I enjoy describing Chinon. It's such an interesting place and packed with so much history for such a small town. I live, of course, in a famously hilly town and I may now decide to embrace rather than avoid them for walking purposes. Now for your house may I suggest saving up to install a funicular for your sunset years?
Thank you, Allison. Funny that I really didn't know where I was going with this essay or how to end it and then it just sort of fell into place naturally, which is always a great relief!
I have never met your corporeal self but the Michael I have met is an irresistible lovely funny kind human. Please eat the steak frites with abandon. It is your absolute duty while in France for those of us left longing. Walking is good too of course. It is my most constant prescription as a psychotherapist.
This is an exceedingly generous assessment of me and the only way I can respond to it is to simply say "Thank you". And I am rediscovering walking-as-therapy and it seems to be working> That and the happy pills, of course.
That red door at St. Radagonde! And even better, your lovely twist of an ending. A story to remember, for sure.
Thank you! The red door was (finally!) open on my penultimate walk with Jamie and inside was found a fraction of a wall painting depicting Eleanor of Aquitaine and her 2nd husband on horseback and I was overjoyed.
Omg, love it! I live in Italy and one of the greatest things about being here is finding unexpected beauty in unexpected (or expected) places. I’m enthralled by antiquity.
Oh, me, too. There was precious little antiquity growing up in Anaheim.
😂
Making that much pain funny is a true literary gift.
Well one must do *something* with pain. Might as well laugh at it. And I’m glad you think I have a literary *gift*. Makes me think I haven’t lost may ability to write after all this time.
Glorious. You've written MY days better than I could've written them myself. And thanks to you being here, I am eating better and healthier and quite possibly snacking a bit less - well there is the single teaspoon of nocciolata on grain bread I eat in your company each morning - as I, too, struggle to lose the few trouser-tightening pounds I put back on since I hurt my ankle in December. And in return, you are helping me navigate the writing of and the obsessing over my Substack. I'm really glad you are here.
We help each other. That’s what friends do. I look forward to dinner with you tomorrow night when I get back “home”.
Ya know, we're all gonna hold you to that new SF routine you're talking about... But all you need is 3-4 weeks of it and it will be habit. Good luck, and enjoy revising your home routine. I've been doing a lot of that lately, for shit reasons, but still to my benefit. There's joy to be found in it.
We often have *shit* reasons for doing good things! I think I’ll be more or less successful in my new routine-- pulling myself out of my comfort zone and living a glorious (if temporary) life abroad has reminded me that there is a vast universe beyond my apartment door...
France is good for that!
Agreed! Other benefits include: a les foggy brain and better sleep at night.
I'm on a multi-year, multi-pronged effort to get a good effing night's sleep regularly. It takes many, many actions (or restraint-from-actions). I'll probably nail it by the time I drop dead.
I became exhausted just reading about this. I'm taking it one day at a time...
Allow me to summarize what I've learned so far: simplicity. Less work, less medication, less alcohol (none, in my case). More work = more stress, more stress = more self-medicating.
We tend to make everything harder than it needs to be, in large part because other people make money off of making our lives more complicated. And less hasn't made me a slob. I'm in KILLER shape, and my cardio is 20 minutes of rowing machine 3x a week, and soon I'll add walks back into my life at least once a week.
Maybe I should make an app so I can make money off of this advice! JK. Couple sentences is enough.
Not to be pedantic, oh who am I kidding, but the homosexual conquest of the rainbow began *45* years ago when Gilbert Baker designed the flag in 1978 at the behest of Harvey Milk.
Sean, I think you've known me long enough to know I loves me a pedant. Fixed it.
Hilarious. And I apologize for adding to your dilemma! Well, not really - that meal was awesome.
But you should also have smoked salmon with your breakfast, non? Maybe this is just a Bordeaux thing. Or a me thing.
I am LITERALLY on a train to Bordeaux as I type! And I enjoy the hell out of that dinner.
Definitely demand some smoked salmon with your breakfast. :) I love that the word for request in French sounds like 'command' in English.
Yes I’ll do that and see how quickly I’m thrown out on my ear.
I humbly suggest you dip into “The misadventures of a rare bookseller” by Oliver darkshire quirky and a delight.
I shall investigate. Thanks!
Dear Internet Friend,
You sound like you’re on the mend both physically and mentally. Cudo’s and support
Thank you, Judith. And very much.
You're always beautiful.
Stay gold
You wouldn’t say that if you saw me first thing in the morning but still I thank you!
I love the subconscious.. You start writing about your Dad's comment about your backside and then food.. And voilá! Your brain takes you to a deep connection within yourself. I find writing to be very cathartic for just that reason. So glad you and Jamie are together and working and walking and cooking together right now. Glad I got to visit and see you two in situ. Those are some fun words.
Writing can often take one on quite the wild ride!
I'm so enjoying your descriptions of Chinon. I think the fresh walnuts were my favorite part of the breakfast spread--next to Jamie's jams. Sometimes a change of scenery/country/habit is just what we need to jolt us out of complacency. I'm hoping to take off the weight I put on over winter when I head back to Italy. Our town is hilly and our house is at the top, so while it's an easy walk down to the café, market, and shops, it's a steep climb back up. We still can't figure out whether buying this place was a good or bad move...
Domenica,
I enjoy describing Chinon. It's such an interesting place and packed with so much history for such a small town. I live, of course, in a famously hilly town and I may now decide to embrace rather than avoid them for walking purposes. Now for your house may I suggest saving up to install a funicular for your sunset years?
Sounds like a perfect balm for your heart.
You know, I think it might very well be, Sarah.
So much good in this.
The YES at the end is the best part.
Thank you, Allison. Funny that I really didn't know where I was going with this essay or how to end it and then it just sort of fell into place naturally, which is always a great relief!
I have never met your corporeal self but the Michael I have met is an irresistible lovely funny kind human. Please eat the steak frites with abandon. It is your absolute duty while in France for those of us left longing. Walking is good too of course. It is my most constant prescription as a psychotherapist.
Jan,
This is an exceedingly generous assessment of me and the only way I can respond to it is to simply say "Thank you". And I am rediscovering walking-as-therapy and it seems to be working> That and the happy pills, of course.