Sunday, January 01, 2006

l'esprit d'escalier

I had always thought that I understood this until a recent French lecture where my favourite French tutor explained what it actually meant. (sorry Sonj if I'm spilling your secrets here!) Apparently tis a uniquely French concept: that feeling we all get, having just left a room, from an interview for example, and suddenly remembering all those things that we'd intended to say and had forgotten whilst on our way down the stairs, that feeling we get when we want to turn back time and redo the whole thing again.
L'esprit d'escalier pretty much sums up how I feel about resolution-making. Oh I always make them! Year in, year out. Usually the same ones each year. They do have their good points, on the one hand I love being able to look back to them and see how I have actually moved on in the year, even though it doesn't And yet just a few weeks into the year I always manage to mess them up. And by the middle of the year they're completely forgotten about. There are little ones, like trying to revoke those silly bad habits I've never quite got rid of to, my most used one has to be "Keep Room Tidy" and then there's the one I've used more commonly in recent years "Spend more time with God" which I've always messed up within the week.
This year I've decided not to make any resolutions. That doesn't mean I'm not going to continue striving for more, seeking more... For me it just means a change in attitude; going into the New Year grateful for the exciting stuff that's gone on before, and it has been soooo exciting! God has exceeded my expectations, demonstrating that he is so much greater than any box I try to put him in countless times, and
pouring so much grace and love into my life even though it's so undeserved! There have been plenty of changes, many new friendships, and I've learnt soooo much! And yet this this new year holds many more changes, especially with the fact that I'll be heading out to France for 9 months. So I'm stepping into this new year with eyes open, expectant and excited and ready to live whatever lies in store!

And so to all Je vous souhaite une Bonne Année!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

ditto kid ;)