There's a sailing theme in today's essay as well as a nod to our 30th wedding anniversary. The term "voile" neatly captures both…so let’s begin!
TODAY'S WORD: VOILE
: sail (la voile)
: veil (le voile)
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
It’s the start of a new work week, and Jean-Marc, Ricci, and I have overslept. Perhaps Sunday’s long luncheon at our new table, along with all the fantastic desserts our guests brought, weighed us down so much that we couldn’t wake up on time.
“Quelle heure est-il?” my husband mumbles in the dark.
Below my feet, I can feel Ricci stretch as I reach for my phone. It’s 6:51 a.m.
“Je suis en retard!” Jean-Marc gasps. I hurry downstairs to let our dog out and quickly make some chicorée-café, our new morning cup o’ Joe as it is gentler on the nerves. Jean-Marc’s phone is already ringing—harvesters at Domaine Antiane, the Bandol vineyard where he’s in charge of la vendange this season, are arriving in the fields at sunrise. But which field? They want to know. It’s amusing to imagine how my husband will give the precise coordinates to locate a specific block of Mourvèdre grapes. Will he say, “Just past the old windmill and over the creek? Turn left after the olive orchard…”? I can picture it now, having stumbled onto dozens of isolated parcels in the years we lived in the vineyards. Reaching to caress Ricci, I’m so grateful to be back in my warm bed, with my warm mug!
I leave Jean-Marc to deal with his vineyard dilemmas while I face my own: Which story should I write for this week’s deadline? Doubts swirl around the drafts forming in my mind. There’s the one about my mom, tentatively titled “LaLa Land”—a place I suggest we all start dwelling more often, instead of taking everything so seriously. “These are the best days of our lives,” I remind both Mom and myself, genuinely believing we should stop worrying about the who, what, where, and why—and once and for all step into this storybook life!
On the other hand, given this is Jackie’s birth week (she’s turning 27!), there’s a funny anecdote about my daughter that I could write instead. She recently got me all worked up with her nearly impossible birthday plans: As she’s beginning her Master’s program this week and would be away all day, she suggested we celebrate at 6:30 a.m. with pancakes, bacon, eggs, a fully decorated house, and the whole family in attendance. Just when I was about to unravel from all the detailed planning (and the pressure of trying to make it all perfect), she snickered. “Mom, I’m fine with a bowl of cereal. Relax!”
While I like both stories, I’m suddenly overwhelmed with doubt as I sip my coffee. Not only am I indecisive, but I'm starting to worry that readers will tire of these same old anecdotes. After all, c’est du pareil au même—more of the same! Maybe I should be writing about sports, cryptocurrency, or les actualités instead…
As I sit there, panicking over my coffee, Jean-Marc calls up from the bottom of the stairwell, “Bonne chance avec ton édition!” He says that every time, and for a moment, I forget my fears. I think instead about the progress we’ve made and continue to make individually and as a couple. It’s just a matter of staying the course…steady as she goes!
So far, this boat is sailing, even if, week after week, we get hit with our fair share of flotsam here on deck: a family crisis, a social conundrum, a traffic ticket, a plague of mites (thank God they finally disappeared). But when I stop and let the wind wash over me, I realize how freeing it is to face the gales head-on—avec la foi.
As one of my favorite French thinkers, François Fénelon, tutor to the Duke of Burgundy, once said, “Le vent de Dieu souffle toujours; il vous faut seulement hisser la voile.” The wind of God is always blowing…but you must hoist your sail.
Though I didn’t follow through with either story plan today, I managed to write—thanks in part to a certain Frenchman. Before rushing out into the vine fields, Jean-Marc took a moment to share a few uplifting words. What if, finally, that was the most important order of the day? Not to pick the right path, but to help hoist one another’s sails?
As Ricci comes trotting back in from the yard, her nose wet from the morning dew, Jean-Marc’s voice drifts in from the distance, where he’s already absorbed in the vineyard’s daily rhythm. I glance out the window and smile. The day is young, and with each other's support, we’ll weather it—just as we’ve weathered all the others.
***
Update: We all got up early yesterday to make pancakes, bacon, and eggs and celebrate Jackie's birthday. See the video at the end of this post.
September 24th, 1994, at the dinner reception following our church wedding.
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FRENCH VOCABULARY
Quelle heure est-il? = What time is it?
Je suis en retard = I am late
le chicorée-café = chicory coffee
la vendange = the harvest
le Mourvèdre = Mourvèdre (a type of grape)
c’est du pareil au même = it’s the same thing
les actualités = the news
Bonne chance avec ton édition = Good luck with your post
avec la foi = with faith
Le vent de Dieu souffle toujours; il vous faut seulement hisser la voile = The wind of God is always blowing; you must only hoist the sail
REMERCIEMENTS
With sincere thanks to the following readers for their recent donations. Your continued support brings life to this journal and keeps it going. Merci du fond du cœur! — Kristi
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I have followed you for many years, and am never disappointed. Thank you for persevering in your beautiful snapshots of your life! —Pattie M.
Merci pour les récits sincères et charmants de votre vie quotidienne à La Ciotat. Bon automne à vous et à vos proches, y compris Ricci. Bien amicalement, —Patti C.
Il y a trente ans - thirty years ago
In this week of birthdays and anniversaries, here's a very special Joyeux Anniversaire to Jules. Thank you, Mom, for teaching us the value of sharing uplifting thoughts, to always think positive, and to keep your eyes on the horizon. The seeds you planted early on have blossomed into this storybook life. The only thing that could make it better is an ice cream truck circling our neighborhood, as it did when we were little. XOXO