With the first week of school over and our own three children out of the nest, my husband and I headed to Old Orchard Beach, Maine. We hadn’t been in years, but Kurt had a hankering for some fried clams and beach time. I just wanted to steal a piece of the weekend for us, an “us” that all too frequently gets overwhelmed by school work, chores, errands, and my never-ending “to do” list.

Old Orchard Beach is a bit of Jersey beach in Maine. There’s a pay-as-you go amusement park, the beach is long and flat and crowded (by Maine standards), and the streets are filled with shops targeting tourists with T-shirts, salt-water taffy, and an assortment of fried foods from clams to pickles to Oreos. The air is redolent with the aromas of salt water, suntan lotion and edible grease–an unexpectedly tantalizing mix.

There was no one special moment to capture in this day. Instead it was a slow slide into moment after moment. We walked on the beach, enjoying the sight of young children dancing in the surf and building sand castles. We marveled at the array of colors in the waves and the overwhelming blue of the sky. We spread our tapestry on the warm golden sand and I briefly dozed, basking in the early September sun.  We waited in line for coffee and unashamedly eavesdropped on conversations around us. We people-watched, taking in the variety of body shapes, fashion statements, piercings, tattoos, and levels of modesty (or lack thereof). We talked. We laughed.  We held hands.  Utterly content to be in each moment, together, enjoying a stolen day.

J. was the first student to arrive. He came in the classroom door and called out, “Good morning, Mrs. Hogan!”

“Good morning, J, ” I answered, “Are you ready for a great day?”

“Yes, ” he replied, “I’m going to make a new friend today.”

“You are?” I asked, smiling, my day already made.

“Yes,” he said firmly, “I don’t know three girls in our class still.”

“Do you have a plan?”
“Well, I was going to ask you. It’s been so long since I made a new friend. I had a plan last night, but I forgot.”

Our conversation continued and J. remembered and fleshed out his plan. He would wait until recess and then ask a mutual friend to bring one of the girls over. Then he was going to say, “Hi. I’m J. What’s your name?”

Don’t you just love this kid?

On a recent evening, I was outside talking to my husband and noticed several large moths fluttering amidst the bee balm. “Oh, look,” I said, “Moths like bee balm, too!”

“Yeah,” he said, “Yesterday afternoon I just sat here for awhile and watched all the activity. It was amazing! There were bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and hummingbird moths all buzzing around in this one bunch of bee balm.  They just took what they needed and didn’t worry about anyone else. No one was hoarding or trying to claim the best blossom. They all just got along.”

He paused for a beat and then asked, “Why can’t people be that way?”

It’s raining in Paris.
Il pleut.
And the plump drops
mingle and fall
amidst the winding streets,
splattering the colorful umbrellas
which blossom on the sidewalks
from the hands of tourists,
who peer out from beneath their domes,
as rain, la pluie,
splashes on metal rooftops
in big fat polka dots and
courses down marble facades,
washing over gargoyles and spires
and sprinkling into fountains.
Il pleut.

What a beautiful thing it is
to sit by an open window
on an evening in Maine
with the late summer breeze
pushing the pale gauzy curtains
and whirring the blades
on the cheap foil pinwheel
propped in the terracotta vase
while the lowering sun
lingers on the blossoms in the garden
and a peach crisp bubbles in the oven.

Most mornings I rise early, happy to start the day as or before the sun rises.  My eyes pop open, and my mind engages– planning, listing, and organizing.  I roll out of bed and pad out into the kitchen, ready to enjoy the early morning solitude. On this past Sunday morning, however, I lingered in bed.  I rolled over and tugged the covers tighter around me. I kept my eyes shut.  Tight.  I didn’t want to get up.  I was not ready.

Over the last week or so, the pace had revved up–a bit faster each day. The long, lazy days of summer were fading fast and Sunday seemed to delineate, much too clearly, the end of summer and the beginning of too many changes.  It was the day I had to drive my daughter back to college. It’s her Junior year, so I should be accustomed to her absence. But I’ve grown accustomed to her presence again this summer–to small conversations, shared outings, casual hugs and sweet proximity. I’m just not ready to send her back.

Her departure was the first scheduled and the harbinger of more to come. Staying in bed felt like my only defense, pitiful though it was. The week loomed ahead of me: On Monday I would have my first meeting of the school year. On Tuesday I needed to work in my classroom.  Wednesday and Thursday are scheduled professional days. And on Friday…well, on Friday I take my oldest and my youngest to school. My son for his last year and my daughter for her first.  I’ve had an amazing summer from start to finish and feel refreshed and energized. I’m ready to go back to school, but I’m not so ready to let my children go. I’m just not ready.

So, on Sunday, I lingered in bed, trying to deny the inevitable for as long as I could. Needless to say, it didn’t work. I finally got up, helped my daughter load up the car, and drove her to school. We chatted about this and that, unpacked, shopped, unpacked again and then went out to lunch. I enjoyed every minute of it.

But then I had to leave her there. And when I dropped her off outside her new apartment, she hugged me tightly and said, “I’m gonna miss you, Mommy.”
“Me, too,” I said, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She turned and walked away, strong, young and dazzling, and as I got back in the car to head home, she looked back and waved again.  My heart clenched and my eyes filled. God, I love that child.

I don’t know how I’m going to get out of bed on Friday.

What was wrong with these people? I was irritated, frustrated and uncomfortable. After some thought, I recognized the feeling –that squirmy, uncomfortable, guilty-by-association sensation. It took me right back to classrooms of my youth when other students were misbehaving and I, along with others, was not. I was remembering, at a visceral level, how it felt to be chastised and lumped in with a group of miscreants, when I was doing nothing wrong. And that’s how I felt in the Sistine Chapel.

Entering the Vatican Museum

En route to the Sistine Chapel via the Hall of Maps

The guide book noted that, after wandering through the Vatican Museum, we would know when we arrived at the Sistine Chapel because the room would be hushed and everyone would be staring at the ceiling. This wasn’t precisely accurate. The volume wasn’t loud, per se, but people were definitely talking–some at full volume. And I fully understood, and was guilty of, voicing aloud awe and wonder with my family. “Oh, did you see that?  What is he holding? What is that panel about? Look at that amazing detail…” In the presence of such an amazing piece of art, it was natural to want to share.

This is NOT my picture. I googled it–but look at all the people taking pictures!!!

But then the man with one of the worst jobs in the world got on the microphone and said, “Silencio! Silence, please. No pictures.” He repeated this in multiple languages. Chagrined by my whispering contribution to the chatter, I hushed. But I was astonished as, immediately after the announcement, the chatter around me began again.  It barely diminished, if at all, and cameras were still clearly in use.  The man with the microphone repeatedly approached individuals in the crowd, reminding them that pictures were not allowed. And when a young man in front of me stretched his arms out and openly positioned his iPad to take a better picture, I wanted to admonish him and lead him from the room.  You are being afforded a privilege here! This isn’t a right!  Show some respect! If you can’t follow the rules, get out!

We stayed in the chapel for quite some time and the man made his announcement again and again to no effect. He was essentially ignored, as people talked and took pictures as they liked. After we left, I muttered to my daughter, only partly joking, “There need to be consequences. Maybe they should hire Sistine Chapel bouncers.” I had tourist shame–I was lumped, once again, with a group of insubordinates and I was amazed by how fully I recognized the feeling, and how powerfully I disliked it.

I’ve since thought about this experience a lot.  And I wonder, uneasily, if my stern reaction to a rowdy classroom has ever sparked this same feeling in those students who were behaving.  Have I been clear and consistent enough with my consequences for those who are disruptive? How do I use this experience, this trip down an emotional memory lane, to shape my future reactions with all students in mind, when part of a class takes a detour to the wild side?  I’m not sure, but I know it will be in my mind as I enter the classroom later this month.

A chorus of bird song swells
from across the square.
“Oh, that must be the bird market!”
Delighted, we quicken our pace,
striding forward, purposefully,
anticipating an avian wonderland.
Following the song,
we turn the corner,
and the volume spikes.
Rows of tents and vendors,
decorative cages,
bird paraphernalia,
and birds, birds, birds
line the cobbled lane.
Colorful plumage pops
on this dreary day:
Golden yellow, vibrant green,
bold, blushing red.
Parrots, parakeets
Cockatiels and finches
fluttering, flapping,
perching or clinging to the bars,
in short bursts
of truncated movement.
Their eyes follow us,
as we, bound to earth,
wander freely amongst them.
Their chirps, trills, whistles, and squawks,
intertwine to create a symphony that
soars gracefully in the moist, morning air,
defying boundaries.
A caged song,
amplified by their quantity.
A beautiful sorrow.

It may sound banal and, to those who know me, it is probably not totally unexpected, but in Paris, the City of Love, I’ve fallen head over heels into a true Parisian love affair. Lustful and wanton. Intense. Transcendent. But no debonair, suave Frenchman has caught my eye and captured my heart. Instead, I’ve abandoned all restraint and thrown myself wholeheartedly into a relationship with French pastry. Casting aside any notion of moderation, I’ve immersed myself in wanton gluttony. I’m drawn into boulangeries across the city–pulled in by tempting displays of croissant, tartes, kuignettes, gateau… And, they are always there, patiently waiting, just for me.

  My days in Paris begin before my family stirs. I quietly leave the apartment and head through the streets to the local boulangerie–no meandering on these mornings as I make a beeline directly to my destination. What will it be today? I arrive, opening the door with a breathless, eager “Bonjour, Monsieur!”, and breathe deeply, inhaling the intoxicating blends of butter, sugar, yeast. My eyes linger on the heaping displays of croissant, pain au chocolat, croissant aux amandes, pain aux raisin and more, so much more! They trace the delicate curves and whirls of buttery, sugary flakes, spy peeking pockets of chocolate, and admire generously sprinkled sugar and slivered almonds. Mmmm.  What a delicious dilemma! What a delightful way to begin each day!

So, I’m eating pastry in Paris, beginning each day with a croissant or perhaps pain au chocolat, or maybe one of each. Yet it doesn’t end there. We walk for miles through the city each day, and passing each patisserie/boulangerie, I gaze in, longingly, at the gateau and tartes. “Oh, look, apricot!” My stomach groans, churning, digesting, expanding, protesting; yet, still I turn in. “Oh, we haven’t tried pistachio yet!”

And so it goes.  I know there won’t be a happy ending to this love affair–it’s more of a vacation fling, really–and there are bound to be some regrets. But for now, I’m enjoying every mad, wonderful, decadent moment. Vive la France!

A good night’s sleep has made a world of difference in my perspective. My eyes are gritty and sore and my brain is still foggy and gummed up from traveling, yet, I am filled with delight. I can’t believe we’re finally here. After all the planning and anticipating and traveling, we made it!  It also helps that I’ve had an update from home: Kurt is on stronger antibiotics and doing well and Addie has recovered from her ailment. Connor’s bump doesn’t seem to be doing much either.  All in all, I can turn my focus from home to here. And what a lovely here it is!

Everywhere I turn there are flowers–cascading from flower boxes, garnishing bridges, planted in elaborate gardens, edging ramparts, and working their way out of minute cracks in aged granite walls. Many of them are familiar–butterfly bush, roses, poppies, pansies, hydrangea and even palm trees. But the Brittany versions are on steroids–lush, huge and simply gorgeous! The colors pop out before the deep grey granite of the architecture, half-timbered houses and the picturesque cobblestone streets. The spires of Cathedrale St-Corentin soar above it all–drawing my eyes up, up, up. I’m pretty convinced that I’m at grave risk of being hit by a car while gawking and taking photographs!

Lyddie and I are excited to get to our rental home in Lechiagat, but want to visit the cathedral before leaving. It was dedicated to St. Corentin, who before becoming a bishop, lived as a recluse. The legend is that he survived by eating part of a miraculous fish that lived in a spring near his home.  Every day he would slice of a portion of the fish and then place that same fish back in the spring where it would regenerate so he could eat part of it again the next night. One night he was able to feed an entire retinue of men from one piece of the fish. Pretty impressive! (If you look carefully at the banner representing St. Corentin, you can see the fish below him.) 

We wander in, admire and take discrete photographs. I find visiting churches as a tourist both awkward and moving. Sightseeing in a current place

of worship feels intrusive, yet it can be powerfully affecting to be in a space where so many people have gathered to worship and pray over centuries. These soaring stone walls have born silent witness to the repeated expression of  strong emotions through the ages– faith, hope, grief, despair.  Is there a residual energy or resonance from the presence of such intense emotions? There is certainly a hushed sense of timelessness within these walls. 

As we travel through Brittany, we will come to discover that it is a land deeply connected to the sea. In retrospect I realize how fitting it is that our first cathedral visit was to one dedicated to St Corentin, the patron saint of seafood.