An Update from our Mover and Shaker, Mireille Guiliano!
Mireille is one of our most favorite Movers and Shakers:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2009/10/movers-and-shakers-mireille-guiliano.html
She tells us:
La rentrée (re-entry) into the New York world after Labor Day signifies to me no more reading novels and biographies in the afternoon. Ah, well, I shall miss that till next summer (or perhaps till a little escape here or there). The fall also means a different pace and different kinds of productivity and pleasures. I am planning to make the best of the fall.
I have a lot of travel planned in conjunction with talks I’m scheduled to give and the release of the paperback edition of Women, Work & The Art of Savoir Faire, which was highly recommended by Whom You Know and the catalyst to my Mover and Shaker Piece:http://www.whomyouknow.com/2009/10/read-this-women-work-and-art-of-savoir.html
I’ll be speaking in San Francisco, Sacramento, Hilton Head, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Houston, Paris, New York and Washington D.C. to name some highlights where I hope to see some of you. It should be fun.
On one of my last summer days in Provence, a few of us talked after a long leisurely dinner about a few solutions, if not resolutions, to being bien dans sa peau for the balance of the year. The conversation did not sound or evolve like bullet-points or a therapy session, but some thoughts were reminders that I am subscribing to: 1) Never forget to say thank you, whether orally or in writing, for all the little things that help us live better--whether the farmers at the market, the staff at the local government office for more bike lanes, or the marvelous French comedians, Florence and Anne, who made us laugh so much the other night on a late-night TV show; 2) Take the time to say “I love you” to those we love (I know it sounds corny…but important), to watch the metaphoric sunset from a Paris bridge, to make a pot of soup every weekend, to do quality work, and to be joyful because it is contagious; 3) Walk at least 30 minutes a day because most of our life is spent sitting down somewhere, and that’s not an aide to being bien dans sa peau; 4) Clean up closets (clothes and kitchen and more), sort papers not read, to have some sense of order and find more/new space; 5) Stop complaining because it’s boring and useless and because one should keep one’s energy to fight our fears or restraints that prevent us from going forward; 6) Absorb some additional ennobling culture by reading a classic, going to the theater or a concert, or traveling for a weekend to add richness to one’s life and expand one’s horizons; and 7) It goes without saying, cook a bit and eat local and seasonal and share a few meals with people we love. How is that for a fall program?
When I shared my list with my husband, he added, “eat pumpkin pie at least twice.” Make your short list. Best wishes for a pleasurable autumn.
Cheers,
Mireille
