And ... the bombshell

I’ve been thinking for some time now how exactly to write this entry in my blog. Some of you reading this are people I know very well; some of you are old acquaintances; some of you are even people I’ve met since I left the U.S. and traveled to France. All of you, though, have been so positive and supportive about reading my adventures that I couldn’t just abruptly stop writing and give no reasons, and so – here we are.

I am moving back to the United States. I have already, in fact, left the village of La Canourgue, where I have been living since June of this year. You notice that I say “I”, and not “we” … my husband is staying in France. We are separating and will soon be divorced. All I can say in reference to this revelation is that my husband and I, on many levels, cannot and do not understand each other. As I’m sure you can infer, this does not make for a solid marriage. I cannot say that I am not heartbroken, because I am; I can say, however, that under the circumstances, I am making the best choice I can for myself. From this point forward, I need to be focused on putting the pieces of my life in the States back together, and I am certain that, given time, I will do just that. 

Since last Sunday, I have been staying with two marvelous people I met through a mutual friend in Orlando. I will call them “M & M” to simplify (and protect their privacy, hee hee). M & M live just south of Paris, and they came to pick up me and the cats and my luggage in La Canourgue, and then they took me back to their home and installed me there as if I were a long-lost daughter. This weekend, we went to Brittany, where they have a charming summer home in a tiny place called Uzel. I stood on the shore of the English Channel on Saturday afternoon and felt the wind in my face and smelled the sea and longed for home. Yesterday we headed back to Paris, and my flight back to the States is on Wednesday. The Thanksgiving holiday will certainly be full of gratitude this year, and all of my immediate family will be there, along with many assorted others. I cannot wait.

M & M have pampered me and made my last days in France a better experience than I could have hoped for. They were strangers to me a month ago; today the two of them are the best friends I have here in France. Just when you think the world is cold and that you are completely alone, you find that you aren’t, and that there are people who do kind things simply because it is the right thing to do. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them. 

Luckily for me as well, my angel of a boss at my old job contacted me recently to let me know that my position there was open again! This means that, upon returning to Orlando, I have a job ready and waiting. It will be a tremendous relief to be back and be doing something I am good at once again. Ironically, I don’t think I ever truly understood the word “serendipitous” before my marriage collapsed – isn’t that just a kick in the pants?

I have no idea if I will keep blogging. The idea behind this particular blog – to record my experiences in a foreign land – is now, sadly, a thing of the past. I am not sure that my regular, day-to-day life in Orlando, Florida is sufficiently interesting for blog fodder! If I continue, I hope to keep most of you as readers; if I don’t, I want to thank you all for every comment and positive word you’ve offered to me. It has meant more than I can say. Writing these entries and telling my stories helped me through the worst of my homesickness, and also helped as my personal situation deteriorated. It was good to know someone was out there listening and reading. Here’s to future inspiration, I suppose, and also here’s to family, friends, and familiarity. 

Even with the end result being what it is - I had to try this thing out. I learned things about myself that I would never have discovered living in the U.S.! Now that this particular adventure is over, I can’t say I’m unhappy to be returning to the land of my birth ... but I have a parting message for this country that has seen me through the summer and autumn of my discontent:  France, even though you’ve put some roadblocks in my way, I’m still in love with you for everything you’ve shown me these past six months and for everything that you are. We’ll meet again; don’t you worry about that. As the Terminator once said, "I'll be back."