Champagne to ring in the New Year!

This journey I have been on here in France has had it's challenges. So many things changed so quickly, like altering things, that I had to reprioritize. It's been a bumpy ride! The struts in this vintage model went caput! I had to step back and reassess everything, what I had lost, what I had left and how much of this old cluncker was salvagable. Thank my lucky stars that I still had some miles left in me yet. And no matter how dire it may seem, there is always something you gain from everything. If you are not certain of that, then let me share with you one of my life lessons.

I went in to get a pedicure and had to book two weeks in advance. I was told that I was in for a special treat. I thought these ladies were going a little over the top for a pedicure, but okay, I'm game! I'm ready for this "special" pedicure, really special.

I arrive for my appointment. This pleasant thin man arrives, wearing a simple plaid shirt. He asked if I were ready to begin. I said, "Sure, why not?" We head into a private room. He asks me to lay on the table. I laid there while he began on my feet. I was thinking of all the problems I had, the things I had yet to do, but he was so happy, so soothing. His voice was pleasant. I glanced at his short sleeved plaid shirt and noticed this rugged tatoo on his arm, a series of numbers. Call me sensitive, but I felt a cold chill as my mind recalled the one place I remember such a thing...a WWII documentary. He continued to work on my feet. He talked about the girls in czechloslovakia, and how they grow up knowing how to do this sort of pedicure. He's a great storyteller. As I got my own pedicure, I could visualize these girls that he talked about, smiling and living their lives in Czechloslovakia. No matter how pleasant the story, I felt this internal pain upon seeing those numbers. I was afraid to ask, but he seemed to know what had me. He told me his story of survival. He told me of the day he walked away, all he had left was his life. He said that when all you have left is your life, you remember what is really important and are happy to be alive. He said he could have had the tatoo removed, but didn't. There are always two sides, and I can understand those that want to hide that, not see it, but I understand him. Removing someting as benign as a tatoo does not erase where you have been. After all, he's not the one with a problem. He is happy.

I have to say that this was a special pedicure alright! Even though I admit, in this small place in Roswell, Ga, I had the best pedicure of my life, I also was also given a very special gift. He taught me to value each little moment. He also taught me that when you have a bunch of problems, you write them down on a piece of paper. You mark them off, one by one, but when you get to the end of the day, you let the paper take care of those problems until tomorrow. If not for what I learned from him, I don't know if I would have had the courage to survive this bumpy ride. I'm smiling right now for being so fortunate to meet him. I'm also smiling, because I have a whole year ahead of me of good things to come. I wish for all of you to have an amazing 2015!

Print by René Gruau, Champagne