“She set out upon an unknown course which held at least the possibility of personal fulfillment — a choice inextricably driven by her inherent passion for place —a passion which would ultimately define her life.” —Linda Lear, biographer of Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature Perhaps you were read and then read yourself as a […]
True contentedness is unremarkable to the outside world, or passerby. Typing away in my cozy chair in the living room in my line of sight Norman eats his breakfast and Oscar acknowledging he will not be able to sneak a bite, takes a long cool drink of water. The croissant for my Sunday morning ritual […]
“We have the choice to change our life, to be courageous and to live true to our heart, one that will see us die and live without regret.” —Bronnie Ware, author of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying Dying, death and loss has unwantingly been on my mind this past fall. Rest assured, today’s […]
“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook – try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun.” – from Julia Child’s memoir My Life in France During the month of July, The Simple Sophisticate podcast will be airing top episodes from the archives. Why, you might […]
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“Things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed.” —Benjamin Hoff, author of The Tao of Pooh ~Below is a list of the life lessons shared on today’s podcast episode. For detailed conversation about each point, be sure to listen to the […]
“Genius is the ability to renew one’s emotions in daily experience.” —Paul Cezanne, French Post-Impressionist painter who spent much of his life in Provence Upon stepping foot in my vacation rental just two miles outside of Gordes, nestled in the countryside and surrounded by vineyards, my breathing deepened, and a long sigh was exhaled. With […]
Strength and intelligence, composure and courage, free-thinkers and style makers. French women from history and today offer in today’s post words to ponder about the subject of women and the journey we all are on: life. It is how we choose to live it that will make all the difference, and the awareness that indeed […]
~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #155 ~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate: iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio ~Julia Child’s kitchen as seen at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C., as it was in Cambridge, Massachusetts~ The more I read about Julia Child, especially in her own words, the more I find inspiration regarding how to successfully journey through life. Saying yes to life, […]
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“It is within the boundaries of reflection we are able to become aware of insights that can lead us to understanding.” ― Kat Lahr ~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #135 On the first of January with each new year, twelve months stretch before us full of potential to progress and evolve and to observe the magic that […]
Lately I’ve been reading As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto, and the more I hear her voice in those letters, the more I completely love her and am inspired to be myself. Just be myself. And so, as I mentioned earlier this week, I become more in awe of a woman […]
The Summer Olympics is a wonderful way to enjoy August. I think I shed more tears every four years during these two weeks than I do all total throughout the year, but the tears are tears of inspiration, amazement and a reminder that so much of what is thought to be impossible (because accepting this […]
~PODCAST LISTENERS: Please note, that the next episode of The Simple Sophisticate will return next Monday. Due to my travels, I wasn’t able to produce the episode I have been working on, and rather than do something too quickly, I will be fine tuning it over the week. It is a topic that is dear […]
The fall semester is about to begin in many colleges, and the fall quarter isn’t too far behind. When I imagine all of the students I have taught beginning college, many as freshman, I can’t help but reflect on my first experience away from home and doing my best to harness my freedom as well […]
“Flourishing really is what people are ultimately after. It’s living the good life. We usually think about flourishing as living in a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good — it’s really an all-encompassing notion.” —Tyler J. VanderWeele, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor and director of Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program For four […]
One funny human truth often forgotten after we have grown as a person, learned a new and wiser way to live in the world happens due to our blindspot. We cannot see or witness with our own eyes how our actions, thoughts and demeanor have changed because we are actively doing it. Consequently, sometimes our […]
“Resilent people are really good at choosing carefully where they select their attention . . . and make an intentional, deliberate, ongoing effort to tune into what’s good in [their] world.” —Lucy Hone, psychologist and grief expert Each of us grasps life lessons at our own pace. Whether due to our own motivation to grow […]
“Living your purpose will make it possible to do all the things you need to do to reach the goals you need to reach in order to fulfill your dreams, which are as big as the world and as optimistic as your mind can imagine.” —Norma Kamali, author of I Am Invincible Change is inevitable, […]
Over the weekend I quietly celebrated my 42nd birthday. It was lovely. It was full of much contemplation. It included delicious food and wine and the last day of the year brought the sunshine which found me out in my garden preparing for spring. Over the past 12 months all of our lives experienced unexpected […]
“I’m not so worried about the dangers of mental junk food. That’s because I’ve found that many of the true intellectuals I’ve met take pleasure in mental junk food too. Having a taste for trashy rom-coms hasn’t rotted their brain or made them incapable of writing great history or doing deep physics. No, my worry […]
In Oregon, twenty of the 30+ counties are expected to step into Phase One of transitioning out of stay-at-home orders. Bend is part of the first twenty counties. What does that mean to how we will shift as we go about our daily lives? In Paris and for all of France, on Monday May 11th, […]
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“For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude;And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils.” ― William Wordsworth, the final stanza of his poem I Wander’d Lonely as a Cloud The arrival of the daffodil with its pronounced trumpet, strong, […]
