,
Sometimes the right balance of comfort and challenge are the necessary pairing for each of us to grow.
I have been learning how to properly pronounce
the, some would say, infamous winds here in Provence - mistrals (/mɪˈstrɑːl/), and during the summer months (the only time of year I have been in France), the mistral breezes (I don't believe we have experienced anything beyond gentle since I have been here) have been absolutely refreshing and necessary. The temperatures have tip-toed into the 90s for the past two weeks making the afternoons quite sultry, but when the breezes begin, my breath deepens in appreciation as some of
the sweat and the exhaustion is wiped away.
The lesson as I have experienced it is that while we may wish for goodness and calm, sometimes we need a little friction, a little nudge in order to reach the true and most effective balance we need in our lives. After all, we are in perpetual motion and maintaining our balance is a daily act, but too much comfort or too much of a constant challenge can either dull the senses and cause us to be unappreciative or wear us down
and make it difficult to rise. And while yes, the mistral winds can be devestating, so too can our lives run up against painful experiences. And in those instances, we look around, we work with others, and we rise. We rise and strive forward to build something new, but with the knowledge gained from the experience.
So the next time in your life when you run up against a little snag - maybe the chicken is barbequed too much and becomes burnt or maybe the balance in
your checking account is running too low for you to enjoy life as you wish during the final week of your work month, take it as an opportunity to regain your balance, to check in, to assess and remind yourself of what is going well, what can be improved and how good your life actually is. Because we don't want to reach a point in our lives that it sadly takes a monstrous obstacle to remind us how fortunate we have been in previous days. Celebrate and appreciate today, find the opportunity in
what is given, and the universe has a way of gifting you with more goodness.
I have been enjoying sharing my journey through Provence with you, and the good news is - it isn't quite over yet. And in fact, after Provence, I will be heading somewhere else in France, and I cannot wait to share with you where. Be sure to join me on
Instagram, and mark your calendars for this year's
annual French Week which begins in August on the 12th where much of the details about my trip and other discoveries and experiences here in France will be shared.
Have a beautiful weekend, and until next week, I'll see you on the blog.
