I bought a plane ticket to India, she said in her French accent.
Oh! I exclaimed.
You know I've been saying I want to go to India for years. But it always seemed like I didn't have enough money or enough time or enough something. And then I asked myself, If not now, when? So I went and bought a ticket. Quickly. Just like that.
I nodded my head and said, Yes, that's the right attitude. Because, for so many things --- if not now, when?
My family and I were with her, with this girl and her family for the holidays. Huddled under our blankets in a converted goat shed, we discussed matters of small and great importance. We solemnly declared that we needed to do something -- something dramatic -- to mark the new year. We decided that on New Year's Day, we would plunge into the frigid winter sea and swim. We'd wash 2013 from us and we'd start fresh. We'd start better.
And so it was that on New Years day, we arrived at the beach. We peeled off our scarves and our jackets. Soon all that was left was our swimsuits and the sand. Our children chickened out at the last minute but the rest of us held hands and ran screaming like banchees into the sea. We sucked in our breath and we plunged under the waves. And under again. And then....we swam, the icy water invigorating. Later we scrambled shivering out of the sea. Elated.
It was 2014.
That night, I announced that rather than having a resolution, we should have a mot clef, or a key word for the year. We decided on the word, Foncez! Which in French basically means, Go for it! Yes, Foncez!
And so now, I pass this word to you....
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PS So nice to be featured on EasyLiving Mag. Check it out here.