Wine, weights, weather and a not-so-introverted introvert. This is week 49!
Wine
Monday night wine tastings are back! Every Monday evening through July and August, vehicles are cleared from Cours Jean Jaurès and winemakers set up their offerings. Along with the red, white and rosé, there are grilled meats, cheeses, fries, oysters, seasonal fruits, ice cream and more. As the evening progresses, there is live music and dancing. This is one of the great pleasures of living in France!
Weights
I’m back in the gym for the first time in a long time and it feels so good to be strength training again. There’s a small gym around the corner from my apartment that has a good weight room. I’ve had a coach set up a program for me – nothing I haven’t done before but I needed a refresher. I’m inspired by the men and women I see daily who are decades older than me and continue to live active lifestyles. They inspire me to be at my best as I age.
Weather
The heatwave has dissipated for now. Our temperatures have been close to perfect this week, with highs in the upper 20s and lows in the upper teens. But conditions are dry and windy and we need rain.
You may have read about wildfires in the south of France. Marseille (200 km from Pezenas), France’s second largest city, evacuated hundreds of people and closed their airport. More than 75 homes were severely damaged. Closer to home, traffic was disrupted by nearby fires, and firefighters worked through the night to contain a brush fire that was just 5 km from Pézenas.
Thankfully, to my knowledge, no lives have been lost.
A Not-So-Introverted Introvert?
When I arrived, nearly a year ago, I went to the Monday night wine tastings alone. I wandered around every Monday evening, not knowing what to do with myself. I remember being a bit worried about how I would find a way to fit in. Belonging has always felt like a struggle for me.
This week, I hung out with one set of friends for a bit, walked around by myself for a while, ran into someone I knew and stopped to chat, then joined a couple I had met once before and sat at a table talking for a couple of hours.
As I finish writing the blog for the week, I’ve just returned from a birthday party where I knew many more people than I expected to. Some I had met at other parties or apéros and some I knew from around town.
I am still most definitely an introvert – I place great value on deep connection and can be easily overstimulated in group situations. But the side of me that takes after my dad – the man who could talk to anyone at any time on any topic – is coming into full bloom here in France.
I am amazed by how rich my life has become in just one year.
Song of the week
Sweet days of summer, the jasmine’s in bloom
July is dressed up and playing her tune
À bientôt .
Such happiness in your words. I enjoy reading your blog so much, Sue.
As you come up on your one year anniversary, I am so happy for you in having found your place. And to think, it hasn’t even been a year.
Good morning, Sue Your blog is one of my Saturday morning favorites ❤️ Thank you for sharing…I LOVE that Pezenas has become home. I, too, am an introvert. Many push back on that acclaim because like you, I converse easily with others. But, my need to recharge my batteries is necessary to continue to DO Life…good for you to understand yourself well…love and Blessings on your week, Marianne
Wonderful to learn about your adventures. Take care.
You are amazing – moving on your own from TO to Pezanas! That’s a major shift.
Look how you have enriched your life by stepping out on that limb….
A shy woman out there meeting new people ….. awesome.
This is an inspiration for many who I hope are reading your stories!
Merci 😌
You look like your Dad. I enjoy reading you and rediscovering Pezenas through the eyes of a (relatively) new arrival.
You seem so happy! It is lovely to read of your new balance with life – the inner and the outer. Bravo for being so brave to take the plunge.