I tuck my chin in towards my chest and squint against the dust swirling around me. The Mistral winds have arrived out of nowhere. They sneak and slide, having all but pushed Summer, that swanning girl, out the door. Instinctively, I reach up and pull my scarf tighter around my ears.
It is my old Hermes scarf, my favorite that has travelled with me all over the world. Objects come into our lives, some disappear mysteriously, others stay. I try not to be too attached but there are pieces that give comfort. They tell me of who I once was and remind me of where I am now.
No one wanted this particular scarf, bought on ebay for 50 Euros. Already, it was trouée, a whole in one corner and touched by a slight ink stain. It was exactly what I was searching. Something I could wear hard without the guilt of ruination. Nothing precious and yet appreciated. A little glamour, linking back to another life before of glorious Manhattan to carry into the desert of the unknown.
I held it over my mouth during a sandstorm in Mali. Covered my head with it in Samarkand, folded the worn parts under to look chic in Udaipur. And in one of my favorite moments des mes voyages, I wrapped it over my hat with a firm bow under my chin while crossing the Serengeti, clinging to my sweetheart on the top of a barreling truck, exposed to the wind. Smiling so hard it hurt from the excitement of being.
The Mistral carries a different tune but flaps my scarf with the same song. The dogs run out ahead along the quay of the Rhone and I follow quietly in my quiet life. So soundless with nothing but the howl of the wind that I could wonder if I really did have those adventures or only dreamed them. My hand reaches up instinctively again to be sure, to secure this object, now frayed, luxury lost but memory-filled. A talisman.
PS. Thank you to all who responded so honestly and thoughtfully regarding my previous post.
I have a very exciting follow-up to it, coming soon…
PPS. – Thank you for all of your amazing responses! We are out of town and I will respond correctly next week…
teheee…
My dear friend, I knew that you more than anyone would understand this post.
Gros Bisous to you and your gorgeous family.
Merci Joan. You too have many tales to tell…?
Leslie, oh thank you for this so much. Remi saw your comment before I did and told me about it! 🙂 And actually, I have written a tiny bit about our adventures but somehow let it go. If you type "Past Adventures" in the search option, they should arrive. But you are oh so right, I did these things and even if they seem far from my current life they deserve to be shared. Merci. Truly.
Oh thank you Loree, I am so grateful for that. Once you start traveling you have the bug!
Only you would remember that I mentioned the scarf before! Don't hesitate to look at ebay…
Edgar, it really is a very quiet life. Folks don't do as much in France as we do in the States. But there is appreciation for certain things…
I love this!! You are such a charming writer…you really capture and articulate those lost thoughts that float through the mind. Bravo!
I love this post – even the title is melodic. I love how you bring out the music in words.
I bought a box of scarves at an estate sale here and send presents to my 4 year-old goddaughter wrapped in them. I hope someday she appreciates them for what they are, but in the meantime they work well as a pirate headdress and as capes for super dogs. Bisous, G
Oh,I kid you not……unfortunately, the very wealthy, German mother of a friend of mine (we'd all liked the lady during her many visits to America over the years) died this past Winter. The daughter (who's about my age & has lived in the USA for at least twenty years) came back from her visit to close down the German house bearing, among other items, somewhere around fifty Hermes scarves. Most of them were still in their original packaging…never worn….and they'd all been bought in Europe (France or Germany, I don't know) over the past forty years. From what I gathered my friend's mother wasn't particularly FOND of scarves, but Hermes scarves and jewelry were what her industrialist husband gave her for every holiday/special occasion over a very long marriage. My friend brought all of these scarves over to the house of two other, longtime friends (both female…mother and daughter) who indeed DO love scarves, but could scarcely afford even one Hermes scarf…….and then the riches started flowing as my German friend anounced "You'll actually wear them…..take as many as you want…just pick the ones you want..". Many Many Squeals…..many repeated declarations of :"Oh, I can't; I already took five! (invariably followed by a roll of German eyes and the declaration "Why NOT?..just have as Many as You WANT! They look GOOD on you!!!"). It was a very, very happy afternoon in that old house. I think my American friends wound up with about 15 ultra-luxurious scarves apiece. both happily remarked that they'd never have to choose or change outfits again; they'd simply change scarves every day.
Level best as Ever,
David Terry
http://www.davidterryart.com