TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD: Our Tales of Delights and Disasters (12 page)
Read TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD: Our Tales of Delights and Disasters Online
Authors: Shelley Row
Tags: #Nonfiction, #Retail, #Travel, #World
Thankfully, my phone jangled and brought me back into this home. It was a text from Sharyn welcoming us home. The text was filled with “XOXOXOXO!” How great is that? And on the back porch was a festive pink flower with a welcome-home note from our neighbors down the street, the Slawsons. They would bring dinner for us the next night.
So very thoughtful.
As Mike and I stepped out of the house to walk up to Carroll’s Creek, a car pulled up. It was Sharyn, Teddy and Mindi! When they received my response text, Sharyn and Teddy jumped in the car, picked up Mindi and rushed over for, as they said, a drive-by hug. There were more tears. All of this was within the first four hours of landing. Since then, we had wonderful dinners with the Baldwins and the Scotts, and ran into friends and neighbors all over town. Yes…
this is home.
Mike and I talk about the differences that stand out, like the impatient customers at Starbucks, horns honking at the precise minute that the light turns green, the wide roads, really big coffees, iced tea, garbage disposal, lightning-fast restaurant meals with no one lingering over coffee or tea. Portion sizes are bigger, too. Mike took home a doggie bag – something that is unknown in France. A request for
le doggie bag
would bring perplexed stares. We already left behind our habit of walking everywhere.
Oh well.
My dazed feelings diminished over the last two weeks as a dozen boxes were unpacked. But there’s something still unsettled. I can’t seem to reconcile my feelings. As I drive around town running countless errands (how did we live in France without a full day of errands?), I am sometimes comatose. I drive along familiar streets and feel that I never left. France is a distant memory. Other times, it hits me. I imagine my morning walk down the hill into town, where Marie would be sweeping outside the brasserie. The young men running the Spar would be pushing their vegetable carts outside, Mr. and Mrs. Frank (of the hardware store) would be walking to work, and my little man would amble by with his cane and black cocker spaniel. I can smell the buttery croissants baking at the Pouillard Boulangerie. It’s enough to make me ache all over. I miss it so. Or maybe I miss “the me” I was there.
I try to focus on feeling grateful that France is a part of me now but the ache is still there. Without thinking, I find myself buying little things that seem to be a salve to my heart – a lavender-scented candle, French cheese or wine – or I listen to French music, just to hear the cadence of the language. In my first visit to our gourmet cheese shop, I nearly tackled the woman behind the counter in excitement. There – before my eyes – were some of our favorite French cheeses.
Yippee!
Without thinking, I snapped up little slivers of Comtè and Beaufort, the kind we bought at the Cotignac market. Proudly, I showed them to Mike. After an appropriately enthusiastic response, he said, “Shelley, did you notice how much these cost?” Well… no… in my excitement I hadn’t looked. One was $4.50 and the other was $9 – for a sliver – and they weren’t as good (shipping changes the flavors). The French cheeses will stay in France. Having learned my lesson about checking prices before purchasing, most of my favorite French wines will also stay in France. That’s how it should be, I suppose – at least for cheese and wine – but I don’t want it to be that way for me.
When we left France, I promised myself that I would do what was necessary to preserve my newfound balance. My ideas, in the quiet of our French lifestyle, were grandiose. I’d change my lifestyle. I’d prioritize my time for the important things. I’d exchange the Annapolis Shelley for the French Shelley. Guess what – it’s harder than I imagined. Still, my goal is to maintain the important new aspects of my life – learning French, writing, creativity and meditating. I have not been terribly successful at it so far. Sometimes, they become just new additions to the “to do” list. As my first day of work looms, I can’t imagine how I’ll do it while working full time. I guess that’s the crux of it for all of us. How do we make our way in life, raise families, make money, and still hold and develop the fullness of who we are? It sounds like a journey of growth and self-discovery. That’s what I said about moving to France. But now, thanks to France, I have a sense of who I can be. To quote Marcel Proust, “The real journey of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in seeing with new eyes.”
Some would say that our journey has ended. However, for me, the effects of the last journey linger and the new one can only be glimpsed. And that is the top thing I’m grateful for – the excitement of the journey continues.
About the Author
Shelley Row has been a successful transportation engineer for more than two decades. As a woman engineer in a male environment, she is no stranger to tackling challenges. Over her career, she rose through the ranks to become part of the Senior Executive Service for the U.S. Department of Transportation. She is an award-winning leader, sought-after speaker and author of numerous professional articles.
At the peak of her career, she took a year off and moved to France. From there, she and her husband lived and traveled fulfilling a long-held dream. Achieving their life goal required determination and courage to overcome obstacles like her husband’s bout with cancer.
Today, Shelley is a speaker, writer and coach. She works with organizations and individuals to assist them engineer their success. Shelley shares her expertise in achieving professional and personal goals and developing leadership skills through self-knowledge. Shelley also coaches on how to effectively communicate technical information to non-technical audiences. Shelley has designed and delivered presentations for audiences from twenty to 1000 across the U.S. and abroad. Her presentations and workshops are filled with practical tips and are peppered with stories from her travels.
Shelley is a native Texan but she now lives with her husband, Mike, in Annapolis, Maryland. She has run three marathons, served as president of her neighborhood association, and was asked by two mayors to provide expertise on transportation plans for the city. Shelley holds degrees in architecture, civil engineering and a masters degree in business administration.
Shelley owns and is the founder of Shelley Row and Associates, LLC. Find out more from her website (www.shelleyrow.com) or contact her directly at [email protected].
Table of Contents
Rocking Along on the Orient Express
Singapore: Like Another Country