You know the reputation of those Frenchies.... How they regularly engage in steamy sex with passionate partners. Especially of course in Paris, the most romantic city in the world, City of Light, City of Love....
Yeah, well....maybe if you are Amelie. Or if you are lucky.
I received an email from a friend yesterday telling me that she enjoyed my blog and suggesting that I include some love scenes from my romantic Parisian life. Uhhhh, I am not sure I am ready for that kind of honesty in print as well as whether my readers are ready to squirm through such passages. So don't you worry, we won't go there. Besides, I have to at least begin to act my age.
Speaking of age, what I will say though is this: I turned 50 last Sunday and it wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. Now mind you, I have not yet had to actually SAY it to anyone out loud. No one has asked me the direct question. With true girlfriend discretion, I have received many happy birthdays, but no one made me wear a big black sign around my neck bearing 50 in black felt pen. But even if they had, this birthday would still have been way better than my last!
I read an article recently stating that the decade of one's 50's begins one of the happiest of life. Why? Because your 40's are over. And the 40's are the decade where the Bell Curve of your life dips to its low. And for me, birthday number 49 was the lowest of the low. But life is about reinvention, redemption and silver linings. I suppose the following little bit of synchronicity was not by accident. (Is it ever?). My 40's ended along with my marriage, my life as I knew it and what I had thought was going to be my future. It was a tough birthday coming in the same month as the confirmation that all of these aforementioned things were over. What followed was a tough year.
But as in all silver lining stories, it takes time for the glimmer to poke through the haze and once it does, the tough times begin to make some sense and you can begin to see the trail head at the start of your new path. After all, if it was not for the clouds, there would be no silver lining. You wouldn't be able to see the contrast. So for me, a couple of months ago I began to slowly become aware that there was more and more light around me even though I was living through the infamous Paris grey sky season.
And as is buried in all of those "adages" about the laws of attraction and feeling good about yourself before others can feel good about you and positive events begin to follow you around like a faithful dog, are some truths. I am living them.
I am still scared as sh-- about exactly how my future is going to play out, about how I am going to support myself, how I am going to survive parenting a feisty teenager in Paris alone, and other such practical problems. But my 50's have begun and as the research as shown and as my friends who have crossed this decade and beyond have assured me - life begins at 50 and 50 is the beginning of one of the best decades we are going to live.
As far as the romance of Paris - that cliche also happens to be true. Maybe not quite as steamy as the romance novelists would have you believe, but in many ways lots better. Monsieur Romantic Frenchman is becoming Monsieur Right.
And that is about as racy as I am going to get - as I said, I must act my age after all!
Ok, Mary. Now you leave us hanging...like any good author. Monsieur Right? I am so glad you will be here in a couple of weeks...and can fill me in!
What I am really happy about is that you are still writing. As soon as you get some perspective on graduate school, we want to hear about it, and "Monsieur Right"!
Posted by: Carrie | May 03, 2008 at 08:37 AM