Sadness and Smiles
Returning *to* home *from* home—and away. Plus, Rescue Rangers!
There are certain inevitabilities when you are an ex-pat or live a somewhat nomadic lifestyle. The first is that upon changing destinations you will undoubtedly wake up in the middle of the night without a clue as to where you are. You’ll look around at the room, and blink your eyes once or twice before realizing, “Oh yea. I’m [Here].” The second is that after returning from a trip visiting family you’re close with (and who live far, far away) you will likely feel immense sadness.
Both happened to me on Monday.
But due to my agreeing to dogsit for two weeks, which saw me landing in Paris at 9a.m. only to pop over to chez moi for all of four hours to unpack and repack, I didn’t really have much time to sit with any of it. I was in go-mode and when you are in go-mode, there is little room for oh-woe-is-me-mode. (Don’t @me about living in Paris and feeling the woes!)
Whether this avoidance is a good thing or not, I don’t know. It’s probably why I still can’t answer the question: “How long do you think you’ll stay in Paris??” Because even after 7+ years I’m still just…going with it. Spinning the wheel. Riding the wave. Filling the bucket. [enter other clichéd analogies here]
I do know that when I woke up in the middle of the night on Monday and realized I was back in my adopted city, I smiled. Even if I wasn’t in my own bed surrounded by my own stuff, I still felt happy. Still felt at home.
I’ll never forget when during my first big backpacking trip to Australia and Southeast Asia two decades ago I had this reccurring dream where I ran out of money and was back in New York earlier than planned. The sadness came then, too—even in the subconscious and for the opposite reason! Then, something would startle me awake and I’d open my eyes to see the bamboo fan twirling overhead and hear the roosters cock-a-doodling outside; reminding me that I was, in fact, still in Bali. Still away. Whew. Cue smile.
It’s funny how the body—the mind, really—knows when and how to mitigate between the sadness and the smiles. Hoping your week-end is full of the latter. xx — Sara
Clickable
Bellucci versus Bellucci’s gets gooey. | Grub Street
“Pity Me!” writing is a cheap trick after all. Whew! | Gawker
Parental controls. | NY Times
Tipping fatigue is real. But tipping itself isn’t charity. | Grub Street
What happens to wine made from wildfire grapes? | Intelligencer
Bullying and toxic behavior at my old work place. | The Cut
Martinis are back with a splash! | Grub Street
Watchable
I still haven’t seen Encanto, so I’m not necessarily au current when it comes to popular new Disney movies, but I’m definitely adding this one to my watchlist. Remember Chip and Dale, the Rescue Rangers?! (No? See today’s Souvenir below.) The “other” chipmunks are back in an animated-meets-live-action film starring Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Will Arnett, and others. Looks cute!
Currently overthinking…
…how many Paris wine bars I can get to before a June 15 deadline for a story about Paris wine bars since I’ll also be going to Croatia and Israel in between now and then. (Paris friends: Tell me your faves!)
Souvenir: Rescue Rangers
For anyone not born in the late ’80s or early ’90s, Rescue Rangers was a carton about the new chipmunks on the block (aka not Alvin, Simon, and Theodore) named Chip and Dale who led a band of misfit mice to do detective work. I don’t recall much more than that except that my brother was a fan and it came on before Ducktales.
Don’t forget: Sponsoring a souvenir is a perk of being a paid subscriber.