On Gratitude

               “Enjoy the little things. For one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

I received a message from an acquaintance last week, a fellow Francophile who, like me, is waiting with bated breath for news that we can travel again. She said she had been missing France more than usual and made herself feel better by going to the grocery store and purchasing some delicious bread, cheese and wine. She planned to spend the evening watching a good French film while savoring her fromage and vin. While not quite the same as being there, it was as close as she had been in some time.

I love that idea. In these seemingly small ways we are transported back to the land we love. Through film, we experience the sights and sounds of daily life – the language, the cafés, the ringing of old church bells. The smell of cheese brings us back to a weekly visit to the fromagerie, and the wine, well, that takes us back to just about every meal and gouter after 12 p.m. in la Belle France. It is only touch that we lack – of friends’ bisous on our cheeks and ancient cobbled stones below our feet.

Through these conversations between friends and acquaintances, these shared thoughts and ideas, these little moments of joy, we lift each other up, and remind each other that this is temporary, this is temporary, this is temporary. If we tell each other that enough times, we may just believe it.  

During these trying times, I think we have all managed to slow down a little (or a lot), and we have learned to appreciate the simple pleasures in life. Do I still want to start my life in France? Of course! And I am also eternally grateful for the universe’s reminder, this great – and very challenging – pause, to take inventory of what and who I have in my life. And don’t we all need to take stock sometimes?

First, I give a whole-hearted thank you for the friends and acquaintances that I’ve made along this journey in life. I’m grateful for those with whom I can talk about anything with, and those with whom I brainstorm ideas about how to change the world (for the better, I hope!). I’m extremely fortunate to have friends that I can do all of the above with … and that is an amazing gift!

I feel blessed for long treks in the forests with dear friends I’ve known for years. These weekly walks, in fact, have been my saving grace these last months, for what could be better than a walk in nature with someone you love?

I was at a friend’s home tonight, sitting outside around a little fire, marveling at these wise, wonderful, and loving women who I came to know through work, but whom I now call friends. These are the people who are making me fight for a better future for those in our community and the world at large.

I’m extremely thankful for the friends that I’ve made in Brittany, and those who, like me, can see themselves moving there in the near future. I am grateful to those whom I have not met in person but whom I communicate regularly with, those who I planned to meet with this summer but a little thing called Covid got in the way.  When I receive a text or photo or email from those I’ve met “met” through social media, I feel more optimistic about the future and look forward to the day when we can meet en reel. I foresee long chats into the night (Kathy, Michelle, Christine, Julia, and so many others … be ready!)

So, with this in mind, I make gratitude a daily practice and it truly has been life changing. Science tells us that gratitude affects our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and I completely agree. My daily practice includes taking time each evening to write three things in my planner that I am grateful for that day. These include the big things like my health, my family, my friends, my dogs, my job, etc. but they also contain entries such as: uplifting podcasts, sunshine, forests, laughter, music, and warm breezes. When someone I care about expresses vulnerability, honesty, or courage, I write that down too, for those make for truly magnificent relationships.

               I think about the many years I spent teaching young children. I learned so much from them, but probably the most important thing was how to get a great deal of joy from things like a multi-colored leaf, an interesting insect crawling on the sidewalk, the interesting shapes of clouds. There is a little boy in France who is my pal, my buddy, my heart. While he doesn’t understand why I’m not there now, we make the most of our long-distance friendship by sharing videos and funny photos. I recently received a video of him making my name from magnetic letters on a white board and it filled me with incredible joy. Did my heart break a little (or a lot) because I want to shower him with hugs and smooches? Yes. But then I remind myself what an incredible thing it is to have a little boy 4,000 miles away thinking of me.

               I’m grateful for additional time with my dogs, two of whom are quite old. I’ve had Buddy for almost 15 years and though he still wears a great big smile, his arthritis is causing him to slow way down. I’m spoiling him with as many hugs, kisses, scrambled eggs, tuna, and pretty much anything he wants at this point. What a blessing to have had these additional months home with him!

              

And of course, how can I not be thankful for France? Thankful to a country that is rich in history and culture, of incredible beauty and charm. Thankful for her people who, in my opinion, are as warm and kind as any little town in North America. This had me thinking about the little things about France that I appreciate from afar …

               Like a picnic with wine and cheese in front of the Eiffel Tower

               Restaurants with a view …

               The many shades of blue, both in the sky and the sea …

               Enchanted forests …

                        13th century Abbeys. If I time it right, I can be walking along the river on a Sunday morning and hear the old bells chime.

              The flower markets …

               Art and culture …

               Freshly harvested sea salt from Guérande …

               I’m thankful for mouth watering galettes  …

… followed by a scrumptous crêpe.

               All washed down with cider, of course.

               And while we are on the subject of food, let’s not forget the French breakfast …

              I’m grateful for hot wine and Christmas markets …

… and magical Christmas decorations.

I’m grateful for incredible rock formations …

               and for the tiniest of seashells.

               I’m especially grateful for marvelous architecture …

                              … especially that which cannot be found anywhere else …

                              I’m thankful for half-timbered houses …

                                        I’m thankful to have seen how the light dances across the facades of churches built long, long ago …       

   … and on the cobbled streets and etched windows of medieval buildings.

                              I’m grateful to have captured reflections in the river while listening to music playing and people laughing with the their loved ones.

               I’m thankful for little French villages that are too adorable for words …

               … and for blue doors (or any French door, for that matter).

               I’m thankful for the ability to fly thousands of miles in the course of an evening …

               … and for olives that can only be described as extraordinary.

               I’m grateful for sunsets, for who couldn’t be?

May we all count our blessings right now. May we all stay healthy. May we all be able to connect with our loved ones again soon.

Please comment below with what you are grateful for. Also, do you practice gratitude on a regular basis? If so, would you share your practice so that we can learn from you?

Stay safe and well,

Amy, from Tales from Brittany