In a renewed attempt to live healthily I recently went back to several worn but worthy strategies. As I approach my 50th (still MONTHS away, well.... 2 to be exact) some of the same things that my mom and other health pundits have told me to do still make sense.
So I restarted my jogging regime, I cut way down on my wine consumption, swore that I would NOT buy that incredible feuillete de menthe chocolate ice cream that must have been invented by the Devil as he wrought further temptations on us weaklings, cut my increasing espresso habit back down to 2 a day, and tried to beat a path to my bed before the clock strikes midnight.
All of the above seemed to be working as a surreptitious look in the mirror each morning reflected deflating eye bags and a general glow beginning to fight through my winter pale.
And then I met this guy. Damn!......sort of. It started innocently enough this past week. A casual rendezvous for a drink on Tuesday night saw us sip that one drink for over 2 hours. Our glasses lasted that long because we didn't stop talking. Hard to sip, chat and laugh simultaneously and we picked the chatting laughing activities.
So okay, I thought, that was nice. I don't mind seeing him again sometime soon. When he asked if I was free over the weekend I threw out all the play hard to get adages and told him "yes, completely". So he asked me to reserve Friday night.
That sounded good and I continued on with my healthy regime. Believe it or not the getting to bed early resolution is my biggest problem now that I live in Paris. There is something about the vibe of this city, it seems to live even inside of my apartment, that keeps me awake, busy and alert until the wee hours of the morning. And to think that throughout my long married life, we rarely saw 10:30pm come around while we were still conscious! But all last week I continued to force myself in bed before 12 and to turn off the light and put down my book soon after. Sleep at my age is a rocky and increasingly difficult activity. It seems to come only in short bursts lasting about 2 1/2 - 3 hours, before taking a wakefulness breather. So every moment of its presence is precious.
Then Friday night arrived.
A stroll around Montmartre perched atop all of Paris, led my Frenchman and me through narrow cobbled streets that glistened with just fallen raindrops and up and down lamp lit stairways. Believe me, this IS the Paris of the movies and dreams. A street artist approached him offering to capture une jolie femme on paper for him (he has to say this, he's a salesman after all!) and he replied that he was lucky enough to have me beside him in person. Inside the bowels of L'Sacre Coeur incense mingled with sacred mystery as we wandered the dark corridors. We wound in meandering circles alternating between whispered french nothings and sharing our stories with each other. Dinner found us wedged close in a corner, candlelight separating us.
When I slipped into bed much later than night, I looked forward to some sweet romantic dreams. Instead, I felt as if I had had a night cap of espressos. My heart was in what felt like a caffeine induced race. But there had been no caffeine, and very little wine either. Darn it! Don't tell me that the prospect of a satisfying love affair, brings not bliss, but insomnia. That is ALL I need.
Fortunately the insomnia didn't dampen my spirits, but passing a wonderful Saturday afternoon/evening making like a 1942 Doisneau photo with him, cranked my racing heart up another speed.
Will somebody please tell me that fresh happiness does not mean that my face will return to a permanent baggy eyed state, looking in the mirror is terrifying enough without that!
Aftereffects of insomnia not withstanding, I am smiling. My inbox just received a poem written in gentle French prose. The skies are Paris grey this morning and my eyes have grown new luggage, but I do remember that there is another powerful anti-aging remedy touted by all the experts - new happiness - I think that I may be its latest test case.
Hope it will become a healthy habit.
We need an update!
Posted by: Carrie | March 17, 2008 at 05:21 AM