dimanche 20 avril 2008
Julien and Hermine invited me over for lunch today. They made a quiche Lorraine for me, with eggs, cream, and lardon - from scratch, even the pastry. It was to die for. C'était bon à en crever.
Our sublime feast was accompanied by a mundane discussion of our plans. Evidently, I'm not the only one struggling about my future. Both of them are tired of life in Paris and long for a more tranquil life with less artificial conveniences and greater natural stimuli. A recent failure in Hermine's negotiation of a job transfer has led to some misery for both.
Since I'm an expert in quitting a comfortable job to seek a life less certain but more fulfilling (I'm an expert in quitting things as well), I was glad to offer some advice. We decided that it is best to have several plans in case one doesn't work out. On paper, plan A is the best, where she would renegotiate for the transfer to make the move they wanted. Plan B is to quit their jobs, take a long trip to Spain, Japan, and the US, then return to a new city in France to look for new jobs. The same trip is also the main component of plan C, but they would settle in a foreign city along their journey to establish a new life there, possibly opening a quiche boutique if I offer enough of a financial investment (interest-free, of course).
I can't say I know for sure which plan would eventually work out, but I do think it's always a good plan to step back from your problems, take a restful siesta, then return with fresh ideas. The French say "la nuit porte conseil" (Night brings council), and the Chinese "take one step back and you see the wide open sea and sky ahead of you."
I imagine them running their quiche store by the sea, very much like the friendly couple in Miyazaki's "Kiki's delivery service;" how romantic would that be! They would wake up every morning, prepare the secret ingredients for their quiches, complain that the cream isn't fresh enough that day (they are French after all, they have to complain about something), greet their customers, and finish work by mid-afternoon to entertain their guest (that would be me). I don't think I'll show up on a flying broomstick (Kiki is a teenage witch in training), but maybe I'll bring along a DVD of my latest film. Maybe I'll even autograph it.
Speaking of my film career, it's time for me to take a step back and have my own siesta.
