Je Ne Sais Quoi

Soe has this book that I've been eyeing for a long time - Entre Nous; A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl. I finally broke down and bought my own copy and I'm so glad I did. I have been reading it just before bed each night, and then while I'm eating breakfast in the morning. The funny thing about this book is it makes me think that perhaps I was French in a past life...so much of it is me already. I love it though...such great messages about cultivating your own time and own self, saying No, being discrete and not wearing your heart on your sleeve, bringing intellect and inspiration to conversations versus just gossip and 1-dimensional input, reading, enjoying wine, baking your own bread, exploring and doing, always being put together and presentable, on and on. I mean, they must be on to something because it is so true...French women do have that je ne sais quoi and it's so seductive in all meanings of the word. 

I was raised in a very European and French way. Things like never leaving the house looking unkempt or not put together (tshirts and sweats were NEVER ok outside of the comfort of our own home...even then, they are rare to be seen at the Zaner household). Eating dinner together as a family. Not being given a zillion toys as a kid, but being given a few and then encouraged to fill the time with our imaginations. Also keeping our child lives in our rooms, not cluttering the entire house with toys and stuff. Exercising strength and discretion. Utilizing time with friends and family to discuss a wide variety of topics, discuss art and music, politics and literature, life and love. Being taught early on to cultivate our own lives and do things to enrich our personal lives and not conforming to social norms. Cooking. Reading. Art. Music. I'm not sure where my parents learned that way of raising us seeing as only my Dad had been outside of the United States, and not for very long, but they truly did raise us in a very European/French way. We continue to live that way, and I know that's where I get it. When I am home, we all gather in the kitchen and cook and drink wine, talk about all sorts of things. We dress up for dinner most of the time, we never leave the house in the clothing we did gardening in, we spend time alone even when in the presence of each other. I realize that it won't be that hard for me to choose a style to raise a family, as I like the way I was raised. Granted, I may do the European/French style of raising but actually IN Europe. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves here :-).

Joie de Vivre.