Markets are part of the joy of provencal life. Only part of going to a market is about buying stuff (although we always find something we feel we need). A big part of going to a market is just about being there. Walking around, enjoying the sunshine, looking at all the products on offer, looking at everybody else, meeting friends, having a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. All things that could be defined as “joie de vivre.”
There is another aspect of joie de vivre.
When we meet people here in Provence one of their first questions is ususally where we live. Funnily enough that seems to be important. Or then it is just a way to strike up a conversation. Once we have explained that, and the fact that we rent a house, we do not own one, some more explanations are usually needed. So we slip into discussions about how long time we spend here, when we come, how we come and about summers and winters and how attractive various seasons are. However, after all these exchanges of information one can usually still see some bewilderment on the face of the person we are talking to. There’s a need for more. The Why? needs to be explained. And also, we clearly do not fit the picture. We’re not here in the summer, for one thing. And most foreigners come house hunting. We don’t. So things need to be put into place and explained. The next question is most probably: What we do here? Or – why are we here?
Well, that is of course a good question. What do we really do here? Why do we come? A simple question, but not very easy to answer. It doesn’t help much to say: we play golf and take long walks. So most of the time I now simply say: We live. We live here, as we would do anywhere else in the world.
But this is a too simplistic answer. Both for us and others, in fact. Somehow simply living isn’t enough. Even if the French were the ones who invented the phrase “joie de vivre” – Emile Zola even wrote a book with that title – and even if people in Provence are real masters at enjoying life, somehow the question still hangs there, prompting some kind of a proper answer.
Maybe the question relates to retirement, and that those we meet and talk to do not necessarily automatically place us in the box ” retired”. So they need an explanation. Or then they simply want more conversation and discussion?
I find it hard to believe that the people in Provence would subscribe to the Lutheran work ethic. They do not, as I do, have Luther sitting on one shoulder and Calvin on the other, both of them constantly whispering in my ears that I have just missed….ought to….should absolutely…..must………The combination of the two is lethal. It is also extremely difficult to get rid of that feeling.
However, the question remains. And we need to answer. Justify ourselves somehow. With the relationship I have to Luther and Calvin, it isn’t easy. They are masters in giving everyone a bad conscience. But I am trying hard to fight their influence, to live as if they did not exist and to give an honest answer which I can feel is justified. So here it comes:
Be it as it is with the conscience, we live. As simple as that. We eat well, we drink well. The wines are good. Probably not the best in the world, but good, sometimes excellent. The food is great. Prices are well below anything in Finland, both in restaurants and in the markets and shops. There are good restaurants in the vicinity to choose from, quite a few Michelin one star ones. We go to markets and enjoy all they have to offer. We go to concerts and to art galleries and exhibitions, we attend all kinds of social events, we go to dinners (increasingly, since we are now here for the third time and have made more friends) . I ride and Filip plays golf, we take long walks with the dog. Whenever I can persuade Filip to join we go for hikes in the Luberon. I draw – Lourmarin des Arts offers live model drawing, which I haven’t done since I studied, but enjoy immensely now that I’ve tried it again. And we both take it easy, we slow down. It takes an effort. I very consciously have to tell myself it is OK just to relax. Or maybe it isn’t? Maybe more than 40 years of a sometimes quite tough working life isn’t enough, maybe I am still not entitled to just enjoying life, having time for myself and for those I care most for? Luther is not merciful, is he?
However, I found a quote I liked. From a well known American actor, Christopher Walken. I have a feeling this is what I will try to live by from now on:
“None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.”
O S M A F Frankenhaeuser 