Expectations. Oh la, that word! It just keeps back and pinching me, hard. I feel like I am on a loop of learning that particular lesson over and over again.
Last year at this time, I wrote about how birthdays have always been a very big occasion in our family, as in blow-up balloon size. But at the time I had the deeply quieting realization that I was exactly where I needed to be and nothing could améliorer such a simply perfect day. And yet, two weeks ago the wheels started turning, “Where should we go? What should we do?” and most importantly “What should we eat?” I plotted and planned and all for naught. For on Saturday, everything went utterly awry and by accident, only when I had let everything go did I see an ad announcing that it was the first day of the Foire Internationale at L’Isle Sur La Sorgue, one of the largest antique fairs in the South of France! Interestingly enough, our last visit there was also a last minute decision, on Christmas Eve.
As Remi often says, “Life is always right.” We had an absolutely wonderful time.
Dreaming can be the best gift of all.
And while we were tempted by much, certainly both the starburst mirror and the elegantly drawn sanguine, again the unexpected won the day. We came across a stand run by a charming woman selling vintage sunglasses. A true collectioneuse, she knew the origins of everything that she had, all while taking the steps to replace worn lenses and dig out lots of glasses that had never been worn such as my sparklers below. Remi bought me two pairs, a wonderful gift that will be put to good use in my daily strolls here in sunny Provence. A silly goose I may be from time to time but that doesn’t prevent me from being a stylish one…
Thank you again to all of you that left wonderful Birthday wishes and emails! And so I step in to another year with hopes of learning more, appreciating all that I have and loving with an open heart…
