Whew!! C’est Vrai??

As we taxi along the runway about to launch into air and onto our 10 month ‘avventure francais’, I feel the anxiety and stress of the past 2-3 months slowly melt away.   The pace of the past 6 months was unrelenting with all the planning, packing and lose ends to tie up.    In the seat next to me Nancy immediately dozes off for some much needed shut eye as the frenzy of the past months take over and send her into a deep slumber.    Across the aisle Simona and Maddy are busy playing games on the new iPad, oblivious to what awaits them across the Atlantic over the year ahead.   For that matter, I’m not sure I really know what to expect in the months and year ahead.   Certainly I’ve romanticized of how the year will unfold, the experiences we will share, things we will learn and do, places we will visit and people we will meet.   The thought of living in Europe and learning a new language with Nancy and the girls was always in the back of my mind.  While Nancy and I would occasionally say to one another ‘wouldn’t it be cool to…..’ but I’m not sure either of us really thought we’d actually do it.     With no one to talk to, no newspaper to read or Blackberry to keep busy with I’m left with my own thoughts about why we are off to France.   Was this some spontaneous decision based on a “mid-life crisis” (whatever that is) or was there something else? 

On so many fronts I can’t believe we actually pulled it off.  So many times over the past 6 months I battled the voices of the inner critic and doubting Thomas which kept posing all the reasons why this fantasy of living abroad for a year was foolish.   What would happen to my practice?  Would I really be able to pick up where I left off when we returned?  How would it impact Stonewood Group where I have loved working over the past 10 years?  10 years!!!!  Time flies!!   How would Nancy’s practice hold up?  Is it foolish to think that it would not be impacted no matter how great her staff is?   And how about Simona and Maddy?  Of course this would be a great life altering experience my rational voice tells me….. but what if…..   And then my mind turns to our aging parents.  What if their health fails them and they need us over the next year?   Oh sure they are independent and in great health but what if…..  

While the flight to Nice was somewhat circuitous, with stops in Washington and Frankfurt, thankfully the layovers were short and almost non-existent which made the trip a lot easier than it sounded.  The fact we flew on points and saved a bundle made it all the more pain-free.  Soon we were hovering over the sparkling, emerald waters of the Mediterranean descending upon what we imagine will be an incredible life experience.    

Join us as we spend 10 months in France…. We will do our best to share our journey by keeping a family blog.   We’d love to hear from you so please stay in touch!

Sal, Nancy, Simona and Maddy