#401: What France Continues to Teach Me About Living Well

Thank you for reading TSLL. The first two posts are complimentary. You have 1 free post view remaining this month.

Become a Member for as little as $4/mo and enjoy unlimited reading of TSLL blog.

“France is Europe’s most diverse, tasty, and exciting country to explore. It’s a cultural bouillabaisse that surprises travelers with its varied, complex flavors.” —Rick Steves

The rain in Bretagne/Brittany. The dry hot heat in Provence. The bustle of Paris. The butter in Normandy (and Brittany). I could go on and on about the specialty delights and signature details in each of the many regions of France because as many of you know who have had the special opportunity to spend time on the terra firma of France, France is full of wonder and deliciousness to savor. To have only remained in Paris is to have seen just one gorgeous, yes, indeed magnificent spectacle at the Olympics, so to speak. When we travel beyond the capital, we further deepen our appreciation for a country, as Rick Steves notes above that is diverse, tasty and exciting in ways unique to each region.

Having just returned from my seventh trip to France, three of which gave me the opportunity to spend a great deal of time in four different regions of France, each time I visit I am reminded why the French culture resonates so sincerely with both my temperament but also my predilections as it pertains to passions and approach to daily life.

Over the years here on TSLL I have written many posts sharing lists of what France has taught me, so I will refer you to those at the end of today’s post as I will try not to repeat myself here today. No doubt all of those lessons remain present with each visit, but I want to share the new ahas that were unearthed on this particular trip taken just this past March for over two weeks – one week in Paris and one full week in north Brittany.

Let’s dive right in.

1.Rushing is really unnecessary and actually depletes life of its pleasure

“In France you cannot not have lunch. If you stopped the French from having lunch, you will have a second revolution, I can tell you this. Not going to work – it is part of the French privilege.” —Christian Louboutin

As a driver in France, they have a point system which, based on how many points you have determines your qualifications as a driver and ability to drive. The system has a total of 12 points; however, new drivers, however begin only with 6 points.”If they don’t commit traffic violations, they get two more points every year and reach 12 points after three years. If you commit a traffic violation in France, you may lose points.” (learn more here) One way to lose points is to be caught on the highways or autoroutes by a speed camera going over the limit. These camera will be randomly placed along the route, and you will know you likely were caught speeding because a white light will flash as it has taken your photo.

Having rented a car in Rennes to drive two hours to my cottage along the northwestern coast, I had the opportunity to drive on quite a few different types of roads, and at different speed limits, etc. I even took a four-hour road trip to see Parc Botanique de Bretagne which introduced me to even more driving experiences, and at the same time confirmed what I was noticed as there were consistent patterns in driving by the French on the roads. They don’t speed. There may be one dingdong who decided to whiz by me at 125 when the limit was 110 km/h, but most drivers stuck to the posted speed. And having seen a couple of speed cameras, both on this trip and my trip back in 2018, by the time you see one, it’s already too late. You either were speeding and will get photographed or you weren’t and don’t have to worry.

Similarly, the French take a long lunch, and make no apologies about it. They may have customers at the door waiting to get in at 2pm, but they will not open their doors until 2pm.

Rushing through our days is antithetical to living life in the present. Why? Because we are wanting to be somewhere else that we haven’t arrived yet, and therefore we cannot be here if we want to be there. So whether you have a long car ride or commute, or a long day at work, savor each aspect. Do what you can to make the work day pleasurable or make the drive a chance to slow down and listen to your favorite podcast or playlist or simply be with your thoughts without interruption, and when it comes to lunch, if you can, stretch it and stick with it. Don’t schedule something immediately after you return if you only are able to take a typical American lunch (30minutes to an hour). This will enable you to settle back in with ease.

So let me say it one more time because it is worth reminding that our American approach is not the only approach to lunch: Take the long lunch, regularly and do not apologize or feel guilty. A two hour lunch for businesses both in Paris and in Brittany was common. You either popped into the shop between 10-noon or had to wait until 2pm.

What we prioritize reveals where we invest our energy and thus whether or not we are living well. Prioritize a pace that nourishes you. Prioritize savoring. Prioritize your personal life as much as your work life.

2. Mother Nature’s geography is a wonderful personal fitness trainer

Each morning while I was in Brittany, I would find a new trail along the coast or along a beach to walk, and at two different beaches I saw the same thing taking place: French people in full-body wet suits, walking horizontally along the coast while in the water hitting at about their waist. No doubt a great resistance training workout for the full body as well as an aerobic exercise. They would walk steadily back and forth for about 30-45 minutes. Always in pairs or more, but this was a common sight and I had to smile, but it was such a great idea and right at their doorsteps.

Similarly, the trails were abundant in Brittany, and I spoke with locals and tourists while I was walking, many of the locals had their dogs which immediately prompted me to stop and chat as best as I could. Most of these trails do not allow bikes, so you were comfortable to walk without a cyclist on your heels.

Speaking of cyclists, there were many of those along the country roads, serious and very fit cyclists of every age as the roads wander all over the countryside.

And of course, if you live in Paris, who needs a gym when you are walking everywhere? One day I discovered I had walked eight miles and didn’t even realize it or feel as though I had walked such a terribly long time. Another day I had walked seven miles, and every other day, at least two. And one thing I also noticed in Paris were the abundance of runners. Granted the Paris marathon is just around the corner, but I would imagine this is a year-round common fitness pursuit. As well, with the designed bike lanes throughout the city, commuters were cycling to and from work in droves, much more than I witnessed twenty years ago.

Very much so, France provides through either its urban design or Mother Nature’s landscape, the opportunity to get a great workout regularly without ever stepping into a brick and mortar and paying a monthly fee to workout inside.

3. Quality, (and if possible) local ingredients make your food delicious and cooking far easier

“The flavors melted in my mouth- warm chocolate and melted butter and the flaky sweet crust. This was what I loved about France. A keen appreciation for the simplicity and sweetness of life. The French seemed to savor their minutes along with their food.” —Melanie Dobson

The first stop I made when I arrived in Brittany after dropping off my luggage at my cottage was to a super marché. I popped into the Intermarché at Perros-Guirec and picked up my essentials while being in awe of the abundance of cheese, seafood, French butter, you name it, if is often found in a US specialty food market, it was simply in France’s traditional super market. Much of the produce, such as the onions, lettuce and other veggies were from local farms, and the seafood of course from Brittany. Also, the butters were those from towns just down the highway that are known the world-over for being the best in the world. A dream for a food lover.

That first night I had salmon with a simple lemon butter sauce. On another night I had clams, making spaghetti vongole, and because there was a local outdoor fresh produce market open somewhere each day of the week (each town, small and large, has their own marché once a week), having popped into two different ones throughout my week’s visit, I picked up fresh lettuce – one of my favorite greens, mache, as well as fromage, peppercorns, seafood, saucisse aux noisettes (sausages with hazelnuts) and farm-fresh eggs.

My meals were simple, and delicious. And they were not complex, but always flavorful and satiating.

4. Don’t forget the salt (in other words, season your food!), and make it a salt from Brittany

“I have been in Paris for almost a week and I have not heard anyone say calories, or cholesterol, or even arterial plaque. The French do not season their food with regret.” — Mary-Lou Weisman

Speaking of food, since I was in the location that is considered to have the best finishing salts in the world, Brittany, — Fleur de Sel de Guérande is renowned for its high quality, delicate, flaky salt harvested by hand from salt marshes in Guérande (in south Brittany) — I made sure to not only pick up quite a few bags of the fine fleur de sel that is available in most every food shop you visit, but also cook with it for everyday meals to season meat, season the water, vegetables for roasting, etc.

~You can purchase their salt easily here. This is the tub I purchase when I can’t pick up bags in Brittany.

I shared this in more detail in many of the episodes in season 7 of The Simply Luxurious Kitchen cooking show, seasoning is often forgotten or ignored in American cooking and even baking, and it is actually what leaves us wanting more. We need to taste the food we have cooked, and when we season it (with salt and sometimes pepper), it brings out the natural flavor of the food we are cooking/baking. We will not taste ‘salt’, we will taste the food – whether it be the complexities of the meat or the richness of the vegetables, so long as we season gradually and keep tasting until we hit the right mark, we will not over-salt anything, and our tastebuds will thank us, as well as our waistline.

5. Chasing more money only leaves you perpetually chasing happiness and never actually experiencing it

This point overlaps with #1 in many ways because we’re talking about refraining from taking a busman’s holiday, but also not working longer hours or shrinking our lunch break to accommodate clients or customers. Now this will sound sacrilegious to many of us whether we are a customer or a worker/business owner because we have been accustomed to the edict that the customer is always right and we never want to turn away the opportunity for a sale. However, yet again, this reveals at least two worrisome defaults – living with a scarcity mindset and wanting more than we have without appreciating all that already is.

Now I know, we all have to pay our bills, sometimes we are scraping by and any little extra effort or additional hour might help, but generally speaking, whatever is takes away our peace of mind, our inability to stay present, calm and thus be able to make the best decisions for our life, isn’t not worth our expenditure of giving more than we are able to give. When we set clear boundaries, live within our means, and become aware of the constant barrage of marketing coming at us, we can then begin to find the strength to step back from always being available as well as limit our exposure to the endless advertisements, especially during the times of day or life events or whatever when we are more susceptible to be influenced to purchase what they are selling.

Our happiness will soar because it does beyond the surface which can only be cultivated by investing in our well-being, a unique recipe for each of us that no marketer will ever be able to define for us.

6. Stop letting politics consume your life if your job is not in politics. Stay knowledgeable, but compartmentalize and go about living your life well.

The French brilliantly demonstrated this skill as they compartmentalize their life from the blustering chaos of the government news that here in the states seems to surrounds us in every facet of life whether on social media, news program, newspaper or conversation. Don’t get me wrong, the French shake their heads and grumble, but then they start to talk about the life that is right in front of them, the people, the food!, the weather, and they are present with what is right now – the task at hand.

I took a few moments to watch the French news on a few occasions and check out the headlines on French newspapers and magazines just to get an idea of the tone of global events, and while I of course didn’t have long conversations with French locals because my French vocabulary needs more advancement, I did talk a bit about politics for example with taxi drivers, it was insightful and varied, just as people are, but also put into context of the time, history and the world at large. The stress and outrage not nearly as on the surface as the news encourages its readers/viewers to be seemingly every moment of the day here in the states. And for that I say thank you France. We could all take a lesson from knowing when to engage and expend our energy and when to get on with life and do so for our well-being.

7. Don’t forget the baguette in the morning! (and make it a traditional)

Each morning boulangeries open up quite early in France, and in the small villages too, to become available for locals to pick up their daily bread, literally. For €1,20 a I would pick up a traditional baguette, and bring it back home to my cottage and know that I could have a tartine for breakfast paired with my egg (not a typical French thing to eat in the morning – an egg, but that is my must-have), and bread with dinner or lunch. I often didn’t need to pick up one every day because one baguette would definitely last for at least two days (don’t buy the blanche baguette as they will go stale much more quickly), but I always knew where the boulangerie was so that when I needed to pick up a baguette, I knew where to go.

There are many different types of baguettes at a boulangerie in France, and while you will pay about 20 centimes more for a traditional, it is more than worth it as une baguette traditional cannot have any additives. “Their ingredients consist of simply flour, yeast, water, and salt.” Be sure to check out this detailed post on French Learner sharing all you need to know about every baguette you will find in France.

8. Welcome a simple fresh cut flower from the garden inside to brighten the home

As I captured in Monday’s Motivational post for the photo, my cottage in Brittany had a handful of camellias shrubs all in bloom, so the owner picked one and placed it in a single bud vase for the table. I saw this at many bistros and brasseries as well, and it just served as a reminder that bouquets need not be fancy, nor even purchased! The key is to show thoughtfulness and welcome Mother Nature inside and celebrate the everyday as well as the season.

9. Be prepared to figure it out on your own and relax, because you will be able to

Departing from Rennes to return to Paris, I had brought some of my groceries from my cottage with me as I didn’t want to bin them and I still had five days in Paris at an apartment with a full kitchen. So I had an extra bag (a grocery tote) with me, carefully, but not skillfully packed. As the gate was announced for our train platform, the rush, as there always is of people headed for the turnstile to enter, and since I was nearly standing next to that particular turnstile, I was first in line. In my trying to place my phone’s QR code on the ticket reader, my grocery bag fell open and all of my groceries fell on to the floor, now obstructing entry into the platform. Of course, my focus was on pushing my food to the side so people could pass through. I did this quite quickly, and thank goodness, not one thing broke, so there wasn’t a mess on the floor to clean up as well. Phew!

Now at the time, I didn’t think anything of it, but upon arriving in Paris, I was sharing this humility-inducing incident with my greeter at Paris Perfect apartments, and she immediately said, the French didn’t help you didn’t they? And come to think of it, no, nobody had, but I genuinely didn’t expect them to. I was totally focused on getting myself and my food out of there way so as not to bother them and be “that tourist” (effectively, I already was, so I was trying not to highlight it any further by seeking help). My greeter just shook her head and seemed not be surprised. Now with that said, whenever I would ask for help, I had wonderful, kind assistance – at the gas station, at the train station, anywhere I sought out help, spoke in French (to the best of my ability), the were more than accommodating and even went beyond what I was searching for.

But back to being prepared to figure it out on your own. At the train station, there were clear tasks I needed to be able to do – make it through the turnstile with my luggage with ease because I wasn’t the only one who was taking the train and needed to board. I didn’t do that. That was my responsibility, but also I chose to bring more luggage with me which made the likelihood of my oops happening a real possibility. So I had the freedom to ride the train and go where I wanted and needed, but I also had a responsibility to be prepared and figure out how to make the most of this opportunity. I temporarily failed at the last bit, but quickly recovered. I just kept waving the lady behind me, Advancez, Advancez :). And they happily did once my food and luggage was out of their way. 🙂

All of this is to say, the French have their life to live and if you want to visit their country and enjoy all that they have to offer, they have no reservations against that, but you need to come prepared as best as you can. And if you don’t know how to be prepared at least know how to speak some French so you can ask questions to help you find the answers you seek. Great life advice for figuring anything out I’d say. 🙂 Freedom paired with responsibility.

10. Savoring à faire au grasse matin regularly is a very good idea

Since I technically was on a holiday while visiting in France most mornings I permitted myself to savor what the French call à faire au grasse matin. There really isn’t a perfect translation in English, but essentially it is to sleep in and have a leisurely morning. To linger in bed as the sun wakes up the day, to remain in your favorite cozy pajamas and relax into the morning without rushing or demands. To savor your breakfast, maybe enjoying it in bed; however your morning would be best enjoyed to lower your heart rate and increase your pleasure, remember to indulge in à faire au grasse matin from time to time.

France as a continual teacher of how to live well, savoring the present moment and everyday life that when we thoughtfully curate a life that pays attention to the details that makes it endlessly delicious – literally and figuratively – we discover what it really means to be alive.

“We love to slow down, and France requires us to do so. In France, we find what we are missing.” ~ Marcia DeSanctis

And when we finally start to feel alive, to get in touch with all of our senses, just as author and travel journalist Marcia DeSanctis points out, we might just realize what we have been searching for all along. How to live a life of contentment, for me that wake-up call ignited when I first visited France in 2000, and gradually, with each visit, with the many lessons taught, living simply luxuriously began to be realized each and every day, more and more consciously until I fully woke up. I wish for you to make the same discovery about your own life journey – how you can uniquely savor every single day, knowing you are both giving what you can uniquely give to the world while also nourishing yourself.

France may not be where we call home, but it often wakes us up to how to make where we live a home, a life, a life we love living.

And be sure to save the second full week in August on your calendars, as TSLL’s 10th Annual French Week will take place sharing two posts each day all week detailing all sorts of discoveries from my recent trip to France. Learn more about this special and most favorite week each year on TSLL here.