October 9th meetup + joie de vivre

Photo taken at Le Parc du Mugel in La Ciotat, where today's story takes place. 

October 9th (Thursday) Winetasting 
Join us here at home for the next dégustation. Teetolers welcome (you can sit beside me and my pitcher of Eau de Provence!) 10 euros per person. Email [email protected] 

joie de vivre (jwah-deuh-vee-vruh)

    : love of life 

 

Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc read the following sentence: Download MP3 or Wav file

La joie de vivre est une façon d'embrasser l'existence avec confiance, sentiment proche de la félicité telle que la professait le philosophe grec Épicure qui enseigna l'art de se préoccuper de ce qui crée le bonheur. Joie de vivre is a way of embracing existence with confidence, a feeling close to felicity, as professed by the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who taught the art of preoccupying oneself with that which creates happiness.

Try Exercises in French Phonetics and learn how to pronounce French.


A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE... by Kristin Espinasse

Seated under a giant fig tree overlooking the turquoise sea, my belle-mère and I are amazed by the spectacle playing out before us.

"I can't believe he's doing this!" one of us smiles, shaking her head.
"He's so stubborn," says the other.

Moments before, while undressing at the restaurant table, Dad paused to reconsider his plan. That's when he opted to keep his orange T-shirt.... Only, it isn't really long enough to hide his brand-new Fruit of the Looms, the whiteness of which is blinding!

And the color of the T-shirt only makes him an easy target for wandering eyes. But how could anyone's eyes wander after spotting the man striding out to sea in his pill-white undies?

"The French don't care!" Dad argued, justifying his decision before walking away--bare-legged--from the lunch table. He had made up his mind the hour before, while observing a group of 80-year-olds splashing in the crisp blue sea. Amid the falling leaves of autumn, the silver-haired bon vivants were another striking contrast of the changing season.

To think one could swim at the end of September! Such a display of joie de vivre tickled Dad's soul, creating a thirst for salty water. That thirst grew until he shot up from the table with a pertinent announcement. "I'm going swimming!"

That he did not have his swimsuit with him suddenly became a non-concern. Instead, tough luck turned to pluck as Dad disrobed--beginning with his sandals and chaussettes.

Still lean and standing tall beneath waves of platinum blond hair, the former marathoner met the water. A splash and my father disappeared sous mer, causing the water to ripple and the sunlight to dance over the waves. 

As the Mediterranean sparkled and mesmerized, my thoughts drifted out to sea. One day, I hope to be as dear and innocent and carefree--as the man I once called Daddy. It's there somewhere, l'insouciance, swimming in these genes. 

*    *    *

Dad in his bright orange T-shirt and those socks he discarded before swimming :-) Sorry for the photo repost, but this souvenir snapshot of Dad and me is a tender memory. (And you can really see how Dad is happy go lucky. Or as the French say, how he's got that joie de vivre.)

Comment
To respond to this story or post, click here. Read another story about my Dad, in the book "Blossoming in Provence". See the chapter titled Attentionné, or "Thoughtful".

French Vocab
bon vivant = one who loves life (eating, drinking, living)
la chaussette = sock
sous mer = under water
l'insouciance (f) = carefree attitude  

 

Another of the beaches along Le Cap Canaille, in Cassis: La Plage du Bestouan.

Comments

[Nicole]

Bonjour Kristin,
Corrections: on ne dit pas "sous mer" mais
"sous l'eau".
Je suis profeseur de français et enseigne le français en Australie.
Certains de mes élèves lisent vos messages.

Bonne journée.

[Patty Cargill]

This is delightful! I would be like your Dad! Despite "exhibitionist" charges, it so is joie de vivre that moves some to these impulsive acts. I did this in the Sorgue after a canoing outing with our OAT travel group -- no it was not a skinny dip, and I considered my undies as concealing as a bathing suit (well, close) moved away from the group, and jumped in. Heavenly. My reputation probably took a "dip" as well, but c'est la vie, Baby! I have that lovely memory and have never seen those people since.

[debbie poulin]

Love the image of you and your Dad. The Orange T Shirt looks perfect against the old mustard yellow wall.

[Chris Allin]

Dear Kristin,

This is why I look forward to your posts so much. You find the beauty in simple surroundings, the humor in everyday happenings, and love and appreciation for the human spirit. In the midst of squalor and sadness, you could find that poignant moment that grabs the heart. For today it is a reminder to carry on with joie de vivre and (one of my favorite french words) l'insouciance~

[Mary D]

Beautiful post this morning. I will keep and reread often.
Thank you.

[Sandy Vann]

Poetry for the heart and soul this lovely post. Bravo to your Dad...may we all live life so fully! Bon weekend!
Yes, indeed it is in your genes as well.

[Leslie NYC]

I just came back from a few days in Bandol, and enjoyed swimming every evening just a week ago--at the very end of Sept. I had the beach mostly to myself, but the water was great. There was even a beautiful octopus swimming just 4 ft. from shore. Carpe diem!

[Eileen deCamp]

Hi Kristin,
Love the photo of Le Parc du Mugel! Who wouldn't be tempted to jump into that gorgeous scene! You and your belle-mère should have joined him!

[Karene]

I love the post and the photo! I'm beginning, finally, to feel like your dad and not care what other people think (too much). It's quite freeing! Of course, I still wouldn't strip down to my undies to go for a swim, but I love that your dad did. Reminds me of the film "Cocoon," where the seniors discovered the fountain of youth in a swimming pool, and recovered their "joie de vivre." (Been a long time since I've seen that so I may not remembering correctly, but that is what I remember now.)

Love to you from SoCal xoxo

[Anne Irons]

Kristin, your stories and photos add a lot to my joie de vivre!
The study of French is my hobby.
I think you have a natural talent for writing.
Happy Autumn!🍁🍂🍁
Anne🍀

[Meredith]

Hi Kristin,

I am surprised I didn't see you walking the streets of Cassis since I was there at the same time. I experienced that same joie de vivre while swimming in the late afternoon in the beautiful sea. Everyone was so happy out there in the water. Many older women smiled at me as I swam by, commenting on how beautiful it was and how content they were. It was a joyful experience and I'm so glad your Dad caught the fever as well.

Best,

Meredith

[Catharine Ewart-Touzot]

What a delightful man your father is..and what a delightful visit you all must have had.

[Katia]

Kristi, today's story reminded me of the time when my parents decided to go for an impromptu sunset swim as we were driving past the beach. They did not bring their swimsuits along with them, as the beach was not in our plans for the evening. You can probably imagine how embarrassed 12-year-old me was at the sight of her parents throwing off their clothes and running into the water in their undergarments! My sister, who was only four years old at the time, thought the idea was excellent and happily joined them. These days, I admire the joie de vivre of those 80-year-olds making good use of the last warm days of the summer by jumping into the water. Life is too short to worry about such trivial things as swimsuits. ;) Your dad sounds like a vibrant person who appreciates the beauty of each moment. How fortunate that you get to share those experiences with him!

[joie in carmel-by-the-sea]

Delightful . i have never been to that area of France, but it is on my list for next year. A place where there are not a whole lot of tourists still, I hope. I think the joie de vivre is in most of us. Unfortunately it takes the aging process for it to completely emerge.

[edie schmidt]

Krisitn:

You have to admire your dad's joie de vive. I would love to be that carefree in such a beautiful spot! I can understand the temptation.
Lovely photos as well,

Edie from Savannah

[Trina, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA]

Love the post! Carpe diem!

[Robin Lewin]

Hi Kristin, I've always heard that it's the things that you didn't do that you come to regret. I'm sure your Dad will NEVER regret his wonderful dip in the sea! How fun!
(finally got around to making the yogurt cake - yum, Thanks for the recipe.)

[Natalia]

Our dear Kristi,
This wonderful post,your pictures,and--most of all--your beautiful words have once again made our day.THANK YOU!!!
You've wrapped us in hugs!
What a blessing and gift to share such a loving relationship with your Dad and belle mere.
My parents were also filled with joie de vivre;now that they are only with me in sweet memory,it is one gift from them that I also try to participate in with each new morning.Also to try not to let it matter too much what other people think.Remember that expression "To thine own self be true"?Especially because in the troisieme age there are definitely more days behind than ahead.
You wrap us in hugs!
Love
Natalia XO

[Kathryn Duchene]

Beautiful photos and another lovely and inspiring story to encourage us in finding and following our own joie de vivre. Thank you!

[Leslie in Oregon]

This post is among my all-time favorites from you. To me, very little would be as delightful, as full of joy, as swimming in that beautiful sea with (or even without) kindred spirits (including my husband and two water-loving dogs)! That is what we will be doing this weekend in the Columbia River. The water will not be as beautiful, but the 80-degree sunshine will be the same! P.S. Please thank Jean-March for his recordings using the French word of the day. His French is gorgeous, and I appreciate his care in enunciating. P.S.S. Jean-Marc must not have been with you when your father went swimming, or he surely would have joined him.

[Nancy]

What a lovely time you had and will always remember. Thanks for sharing. Will go swimming today - it has been way to long.

[Diane Young]

Thank you for sharing your marvelous father's joie de vivre personality with us. What a wonderful visit you had from him and Marsha. And cheers for your belle mere for not getting all strung out as some wives would have. Life is only experienced once so bless him for making the most of it.