 I often find the end and beginning of a year to be a combination of happy and sad, a little like a wake or a farewell. There is joy and I celebrate, yet can't help feeling a certain emptiness, sadness, a sense of in between. It's a time when my inner philosophe gets down to pondering, wondering... It's a time i like to be with special people, enjoying simple pleasures, a time for reflection. As for resolutions, my lists of hopes and dreams and wishes seems to grow rather than diminish and as long as life continues to inspire and overwhelm me as it does, I consider these lists with frustrated excitement because I'll never live long enough to achieve it all! Though I will live hard trying! (Even if I seem pretty relaxed most of the time!). It's the journey that counts. I am a creative and practical list maker. I rediscover old ones and laugh at how similar they are to my new ones. (Check out some of my lists here http://listography.com/metissagesdecoeur) I feel 2017 is going to be an 'ing' year; reading walking creating eating discovering waiting exploring laughing writing dreaming dancing sleeping observing wondering meandering learning cooking playing sharing crying tasting listening...the list goes on, but mostly just being.
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Ingredients A garden A little ray of sunshine A library A crazy laughing fit Crayons Personal playlist/soundtrack A giant fairy floss on a stick A pot of tea A bucket full of puns A sack of potatoes A rainbow (a sprinkler) A puppy and a kitten Dancing Copious doses of kindness Method Enter the little patch of garden. Run and dance through the sprinkler under the little ray of sunshine and find your rainbow. Enjoy the sticky sweetness of a giant fairy floss on a stick and wash it down with a pot of tea. Play with the puppy and kitten, face licks included, until you have a crazy fit of laughter. Use the bucket full of puns to add more laughter as needed. Recharge your spirit at the library. Sit with/eat potatoes for comfort. Use the crayons to add colour as needed. Use copious doses of kindness on a daily basis. Created by Artemis et Armand for MCA Hello Big Institute online art course It's already 6 months since we left!
Instead of kooky Christmas pics, you'll have to make do with quirky new year shots. Only 18 days into 2017 and I'm already behind! Before 2016 becomes a total blur, this is roughly some of what we achieved:
And for the in between stuff... Not yet being able to work enables me to hone my budgeting skills and gives me lots of time for reflexion, mmmmm. What to do with all this time? Walk, read, ponder, take photos, read, explore, visit libraries, museums, villages, roam, write, read, learn, appreciate, watch life float along and I can do housework all day! Haha. As if. I am currently a true flâneur. (Loosely translated, I'm doing a whole lot of nothing in particular!) Artemis and Armand have slinked into the moody and difficult teenager mode with the greatest of ease, while I've been wondering what planet I was on when I decided to bring two 13/now 14 year olds to France for a year. I'm not sure if they totally grasp the wonder and possibilities of this adventure...and the different struggles related to adjusting to a new life are enough to get us all down on some days! Am going for a record in the longest delay to open a bank account, 5 months and counting! I think I finally got it! Surely the most frustrating thing is it takes ages to get anything done here, administrative tasks in particular, so I feel like I'm in a permanent state of limbo. Have already had a few car hiccups. Secondary School blues - college here is somewhat more demanding than the relatively laid back day of high school in Australia. It seems less human, with long days, strict teaching methods and teachers, no replacement teachers! Students just get free/study/home time? Is there such a thing as too long a lunch break? Surprisingly, yes. So far Artemis and Armand don't like it, not sure if I do either! Missing friends and family, our heartstrings are getting a good work out. Regardless, we continue to enjoy the simple pleasures and wish the same for our beloved friends and family. You add sparkle to our days and wellness to our being! love Tina Artemis Armand  If it wasn't for my love of adventure and what lies beyond the next corner, I might not be who I am today.
My desire to explore and discover has had a profound impact on my identity. Back in the mid 90's a romantic encounter led to 10 years of living in France, where I experienced major milestones. Love, marriage, buying a house, losing everything, giving birth to twins, friendship, divorce and immersion in the culture and language, transformed me into a française de cœur. I never realised to what degree until I returned to Australia. People ask why here? Why there? Where do I prefer to be? Honestly, if I knew perhaps I wouldn't keep roaming! It's impossible to compare. Every place I've been to offers something incredible. Human nature determines that I'm not always satisfied and yet it is the simplicity of a place/lieu that speaks the loudest and the people who become a part of our lives that we miss the most. Each place I've lived in has left an imprint and represents a chapter in my life. I wonder if it's the place that chooses us? I often question this process of uprooting myself, especially when everything is dandy. I may not be lost, but I am definitely living the mixed blessing (or curse) of being torn between two places, of yearning to wander near and far, of wondering what life is like in other places. Now, after years of umming and ahhing, my gypsy feet have brought us back to France. Life never ceases to amaze me. |
AuthorFor me, it seems there is not much difference between wondering and wandering. It has always helped me find inspiration. Creative dabbling is good for the soul, I couldn't imagine life without it and often surprise myself by what I come up with. Archives
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