Feel good, French style

Guess who’s coming for a visit? The Buddhist monk, poet and activist Thich Nhat Hanh. He recently released tour dates in the U.S., including public events in NYC.

I discovered Thich Nhat Hanh when a friend suggested I read Peace is Every Step.  The title alone intrigues: can you take a step and feel more peaceful? The book explores the idea of walking meditation. I think of it as trying to keep your mind in the present, using your senses to experience the act of walking. You touch the Earth with every step. You feel the air tickling your ear lobes. You take in the details of life buzzing around you.

Being present in this way helps relieve stress caused by your never-ending brain chatter. It’s often when your thoughts send you into the future (“what am I forgetting for my meeting tomorrow?”) or into the past (“why did I do this or say that?”) that you feel stress or pain.

But if you practice being in the present, the chatter calms down. That’s one way to cultivate your sense of épanoui (French-style bliss). Try it: laugh, or tell someone a story, or make the biggest smile you can.

Doesn’t it feel good to be in the moment?

Live épanoui*

Elisa

* in full bloom

Reading the Wedding Announcements is one of my Sunday pleasures. Recently, I came across a new idea – the honeymove.

Instead of leaving 10 days on a honeymoon, you relocate a few months to experience life in a new place. You can work, or volunteer, or play…but the idea is to begin your life together exploring the world.

I started daydreaming about taking my own honeymove.  Paris in the Spring seems like an obvious choice…

… unless we travel to Africa to meet this interesting creature…

A Ground Hornbill in Africa, by Arno Meintjes

Or perhaps an inward journey would do the trick…

A Hindu sculpture in Orissa, India by Keren Su

Where would you go on your honeymove?

Live épanoui*

Elisa

* in full bloom

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I was thinking of all the things I love. But, not surprisingly, people come to mind before things.

When I think of my husband David, or my family or friends, my heart does a little two-step.

My Wedding Day in Paris, 2003

As much as I love my work, I can’t say it has the same effect.

With our demanding lives, it seems you’re constantly juggling between competing priorities – the desire to get the job done and the desire to spend time with loved ones.

Valentine’s Day is a welcome reminder of priority #1.

Live épanoui*

Elisa

* in full bloom

The second reason to love winter? It’s okay to do absolutely nothing! It’s too cold to go out – time to snuggle up, luxuriate and just be still.

But you know what? It’s often when there’s no pressure to perform that you deliver your best act. Quiet nothings turn into rich, wonderful somethings. Take last night. I finally had the chance to finish the last half of Between Two Worlds. When I read the last page at 1 a.m., I felt shell-shocked.

In one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read, Zainab Salbi relates her life growing up under Sadam Hussein’s terrorizing grip. She explains how she ultimately turned terror and pain into a life force. Zainab has helped over 250,000 women survivors of war through the organization she founded in 1993, Women for Women International.

Reading her story made me marvel all the more at the advice she gave a group of New York women last November. Manhattan life can be crazy and stressful, she explained, but don’t forget to stop. Laugh, dance, put on your prettiest dress and your favorite lipstick. Do it for all the women in Afghanistan, Iraq, Rwanda, Sudan — and countless other places — who can’t.

Claim your joy so that it can help you change the world.

Live épanoui*

Elisa

* in full bloom

It’s a very cold winter here in New York, but I’m actually enjoying it. To my surprise, I’ve learned to love winter, and here’s the first reason:

1. You can be as chic as any Parisienne just by putting on an undershirt.

French style icon Ines de la Fressange recently shared her secrets in La Parisienne. Fantastically illustrated by Ines herself, it’s become a best-seller in France (the English version releases in April).

One of my favorite tips? Ines says don’t forget your cami! An added layer of silk, cotton or lace keeps you warm and toasty, and can make a big difference between brrrrr…and hmmm…

Of course, my own French Maman has been telling me the same thing for ages; it just took single digit temperatures for me to catch on. Merci Maman!

Live épanoui*

Elisa

* in full bloom