tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80397988633936993652024-03-13T18:44:46.150+01:00People, Communication and CultureI am a communication specialist living and working in Paris, France.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039798863393699365.post-69340649727487081352011-11-09T14:44:00.001+01:002011-11-09T14:45:57.421+01:00The quiet foxIn the Native American tradition, the fox is an important totem animal and signifies certain strengths.
• Camouflage or the ability to blend in with surroundings while keeping your intentions private
• Ability to move through new dimensions
• Growth or creation of new worlds within yourself
I was traveling home on the train, from the city center in Paris to my home in the suburbs, and it was Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039798863393699365.post-10581499844510829492009-10-02T12:10:00.000+02:002009-10-02T12:10:12.068+02:00A very successful manI learned recently that my former father-in-law died. It's been about 9 years since I've seen him. After my divorce, I tactfully backed away from regular contact with my ex-husband's family. Not for any reasons of bitterness or unresolved issues, simply to enable my ex and me to follow our new life paths. But thinking of Jacob's passing brings back memories and I feel the need to write about him.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039798863393699365.post-49629026893510179902009-07-18T16:01:00.002+02:002009-09-08T09:28:29.057+02:00From beautiful to ugly, in just a few seconds...I was traveling home on the train and it was an uneventful trip for most of the way. The warm weather made people quiet and we stared with restless boredom at the floor, at each other, or our hands. I decided to open my new briefcase from Muji (www.muji.com). I bought it because of the minimalist Japanese styling and it's the right size for my portfolio. The only downside, which I discovered Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039798863393699365.post-24502660460934162792009-04-29T21:58:00.013+02:002010-04-02T10:32:08.315+02:00A miracle in India: Faith, sacred fire or fantasy?My recent trip to Rajasthan India had a positive start. My husband and I were met by our guide, Munindra, and our driver Pradeep. As I relaxed and reached out to India, I felt immersed in sea of humanity, yet without a sense of stress or uncertainty. One memorable experience linked to yet another, like luminous pearls on a silk cord.
But when we left New Delhi and drove towards Agra, I was Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039798863393699365.post-8448342214588310702009-01-01T12:28:00.005+01:002009-06-10T20:13:00.295+02:00Cold days, warm heartsSo what did I do on Christmas? I joined my husband's family for a big dinner – 19 of us in total. The young people did a great job of decorating the table and serving the food. My father-in-law (previously described in "Smooth Stones, Shiny Stones") remains in a mental cocoon of Alzheimer's, but he was affectionately cared for by all of us and seemed to be happy. After dinner when the group Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039798863393699365.post-61265058000453370262008-12-15T22:16:00.003+01:002008-12-16T08:27:28.514+01:00The River RoadThe River RoadI grew up in a region with green forests, quiet valleys and rolling mountains. For a while I even lived on an island. Today I live in a populated suburban area located outside of Paris. At times I miss being close to Nature and feel a primitive longing for it. The closest substitute to Nature that I can find is the river road -- a narrow pedestrian road that runs along the river in Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039798863393699365.post-6987075121890818332008-12-09T15:33:00.004+01:002009-06-10T20:20:03.405+02:00Une ambiance infernale?Christmas is coming and turning ordinary French people into wild-eyed shoppers. Angry drivers vent their impatience and frustration at the smallest delay. It’s hard to say which suffocating joy is destroying people’s tranquility the most. Is it the ever-growing piles of marginal quality, cheaply-priced decorations in the stores? Who could find personal fulfillment in decorating their home with Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039798863393699365.post-64450578222825109892008-11-27T21:01:00.001+01:002008-11-27T21:02:38.941+01:00Jallab: Sunshine in a bottleWhen I push open the door of the shop, a rush of scents, colors and taste sensations are waiting for me. I’ve been a customer for five years now, and it’s the same scenario, every time I walk through the door. The owner, an obese man who sits near the entrance, stares straight ahead and talks relentlessly on his portable, pausing only to transfer nuts from his paw of a hand to the corner of his Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039798863393699365.post-35302363720500532192008-11-20T14:16:00.000+01:002008-11-20T14:17:28.461+01:00Smooth stones, shiny stonesPierre, my father-in-law, and I are standing next to each other, carefully examining stones. I collect stones whenever I go, a habit that I've had since childhood. Pierre likes stones too and he is appreciatively touching a smooth stone that I gathered from a beach on the Normandy coast. He has Alzheimer's and is starting to lose his short-term memory and the ability to sustain a thought. It Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039798863393699365.post-23628920306301623812008-11-18T16:59:00.002+01:002008-11-19T14:33:16.651+01:00Under a luminous grey skyParis is a city of dreams for many people. For me, it's my home and a place of very specific realities. It's a place where almost everything in my life had changed or was lost, and then was re-born again. Some streets still have the power to create a brief, piercing nostalgia in my heart. But most often I walk past these snapshots of visual memory and see and feel only the present. The layers Unknownnoreply@blogger.com