Eating well, being outdoors in nature instead of surrounded by cars, silence, that’s true luxury
And yes being connected rather than in the tread mill, chasing the void
Do you have sun? Without sun it can be depressing in my experience. Not all places in France are like your description: there is Paris gray area. Also after high school, France has a very competitive boarding school system.
Yes, I completely agree. We are lucky to be in a relatively sunny place, but we do get a lot of rain as well, which helps things grow. We don't live in Paris, by choice, as we came here to have a slower-paced life in the countryside. Do you live in France?
I know a little about Carl Jung, but I'm definitely not an expert! Do his beliefs align with what you're mentioning — about connection starting with self? If so, that definitely resonates!
We repress our feelings (for lack of a better word) but they are alive in dreams and the self will never stop bugging us until our authentic selves become. Know thy self, aligned. It’s magic… for lack of a better word.
Also food culture. In most US families I know, kids have free range of the fridge and pantry, eating whatever they want whenever they want. Then parents struggle to get kids to eat proper meals at mealtimes because the kids are never hungry from all the snacking. Americans snacking habits seemingly develop in childhood. Learning to tolerate hunger and have an appetite for meals seems like an important skill for kids to learn yet I can understand why an exhausted parent might hand over the Goldfish crackers on the way to the restaurant.
“Respect for adults”. This is huge. I moved from the US to Italy last year and one of the subtle differences I notice is how respect to adults is still demanded. It reminds me of growing up in the 1980s when parents/adult relatives, teachers and other adults in general were authority figures and we kids listened to them. There were clear boundaries and expectations, followed by consequences if those weren’t respected. Something has shifted in the US on a society level for sure, something beyond over-parenting and misaligned priorities within the education system. It’s upsetting to see this in children within my extended family and friends circle but I am heartened to see that respect for adults is still alive in other places.
Slow living, afternoon pauses, and this phrase: “It’s less about racing through milestones and more about lingering in the moment.” These three are so important to me. We homeschool, though. So, I think that makes doing all of these things in the U.S. more feasible.
I live in Australia and whilst we haven’t quite the balance of France, we have good access to healthcare, a good education system not perfect but we sent one of our children to a Rudolf Steiner school that embodies the health of the child mentally, physically and emotionally which we loved which I think is invaluable. These schools are worldwide and may be a different choice to mainstream schools ( I write this sitting in the sun, whilst that child now 20 sits outside too doing his university studies in engineering whilst my husband’s potters in the veggie patch ) - thanks for sharing it gives me time to pause and reflect and think I’ve done right by us the best we can.
Eating well, being outdoors in nature instead of surrounded by cars, silence, that’s true luxury
And yes being connected rather than in the tread mill, chasing the void
Do you have sun? Without sun it can be depressing in my experience. Not all places in France are like your description: there is Paris gray area. Also after high school, France has a very competitive boarding school system.
Yes, I completely agree. We are lucky to be in a relatively sunny place, but we do get a lot of rain as well, which helps things grow. We don't live in Paris, by choice, as we came here to have a slower-paced life in the countryside. Do you live in France?
I live in Hoboken where I get plenty of sun. I know Mr Longstreet, his reputation precedes him in our ecosystem.
Being whole, connection starts with self. Are you familiar with Carl Jung?
I know a little about Carl Jung, but I'm definitely not an expert! Do his beliefs align with what you're mentioning — about connection starting with self? If so, that definitely resonates!
We repress our feelings (for lack of a better word) but they are alive in dreams and the self will never stop bugging us until our authentic selves become. Know thy self, aligned. It’s magic… for lack of a better word.
Also food culture. In most US families I know, kids have free range of the fridge and pantry, eating whatever they want whenever they want. Then parents struggle to get kids to eat proper meals at mealtimes because the kids are never hungry from all the snacking. Americans snacking habits seemingly develop in childhood. Learning to tolerate hunger and have an appetite for meals seems like an important skill for kids to learn yet I can understand why an exhausted parent might hand over the Goldfish crackers on the way to the restaurant.
“Respect for adults”. This is huge. I moved from the US to Italy last year and one of the subtle differences I notice is how respect to adults is still demanded. It reminds me of growing up in the 1980s when parents/adult relatives, teachers and other adults in general were authority figures and we kids listened to them. There were clear boundaries and expectations, followed by consequences if those weren’t respected. Something has shifted in the US on a society level for sure, something beyond over-parenting and misaligned priorities within the education system. It’s upsetting to see this in children within my extended family and friends circle but I am heartened to see that respect for adults is still alive in other places.
Slow living, afternoon pauses, and this phrase: “It’s less about racing through milestones and more about lingering in the moment.” These three are so important to me. We homeschool, though. So, I think that makes doing all of these things in the U.S. more feasible.
I live in Australia and whilst we haven’t quite the balance of France, we have good access to healthcare, a good education system not perfect but we sent one of our children to a Rudolf Steiner school that embodies the health of the child mentally, physically and emotionally which we loved which I think is invaluable. These schools are worldwide and may be a different choice to mainstream schools ( I write this sitting in the sun, whilst that child now 20 sits outside too doing his university studies in engineering whilst my husband’s potters in the veggie patch ) - thanks for sharing it gives me time to pause and reflect and think I’ve done right by us the best we can.
I went outside and read your piece. Now I’m sitting with my hat over my face. ❤️