I had been having lunch with a friend at the cafe at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) during 2001 when I was considering trying to buy the Chatette.To buy or not to buy, was certainly part of our conversation that day.
She said something that I dismissed at the time:
"Buying this place will give you something to look forward to
and something to work for!"
That was 15 years ago. I had been working full time for a long time and was recently self-employed. I'd always worked and always worked hard for others. I used to tease that I'd be a millionaire if I worked as hard for myself as I did for others. Truth be told...once I became self-employed I didn't want to work that hard. Truth be told...working for others full-time had been a crazy kind of unhealthy hard.
Then, I didn't feel like I needed anything to look forward to or to work hard for. Now, the truth of her words echo in my heart and soul. I see myself working hard to get myself home this summer. I see myself working hard to get myself home permanently durng 2017. It's time to put the one year plan in place.
I giggle as I say that. Just last week, I thought I had my plan in place for this summer 2016. I was about ready to book plane tickets and had put everything in place to be gone for 4 months.
When the new tenant in the apartment announced this week that she is leaving, the dominoes fell straight into my summer plans.
You probably could have heard me screaming around the globe. I am regrouping. I am trying to make lemonade out of lemons. I can adjust. So, maybe it won't be for four months this summer...but I will be laying the groundwork for full-time France again. When I return to the states in the fall to teach, I will be putting those very necessary pieces in place that make for a successful 2017 departure.
How wonderful that I do have the Chatette and our life in France to look forward to.
How wonderful that I want to work hard to get Sammie Cat and I home.
It will come.
Oh, I bet you do-Niels...I'm learning to be flexible-I'll look forward to seeing your blog and checking back in tomorrow. It is wonderful to know there are "birds of a feather" all over the world and we are those-Love to you and Bodil-Laury and Sam
Posted by: Laury Bourgeois | March 06, 2016 at 05:04 PM
I probably hear you screaming, but you will make it ! I'm sure, you will end up having life in overalls full time in the Chatette very soon, life is a strange thing, check my blog tomorrow, because I have found out why I really belong to this place! you really belong to the Chatette ! love Niels and Bodil
Posted by: Niels | March 06, 2016 at 03:27 PM