Dare to live the life you’ve dreamed
I’m a sucker for inspirational quotes. I Google “motivational quotes” (and images of pugs, just to make me laugh) when I’m having a rough day. I write out my favorites in pretty colors on index cards and stick them on my bathroom mirror. For the vast majority of quotes, I read them, enjoy them, am momentarily inspired and then move on.
However, I couldn’t quite shake a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“Dare to live the life you’ve dreamed for yourself. Move forward and make your dreams come true.”
This forced me to take an honest look at my life. Was I living the life of my dreams? Great job in high-tech PR, amazing boyfriend, a close network of family and friends in Northern California.
But something was missing. I had always intended on studying abroad in France while I was in college, but I had a boyfriend, I had a position in my sorority, and then, suddenly, I was walking across the stage to accept my diploma.
Still, I desperately wanted to live in France, to speak French fluently, to embrace a life outside of my native California. As my relationship deteriorated and the lease on my not-so-fabulous apartment came up for renewal, I realized…if not now, then when?
And so I’m moving forward with the life I dreamed of: six months in Nice, France. A pain au chocolat and café crème to start my morning. Cobblestone streets and the sparkling Mediterranean just outside my window. A glass of wine next to a dinner made with ingredients fresh from the market in Old Nice.
I’m sure it won’t all be sunshine and rosé (but that doesn’t stop me from daydreaming about falling in love with a Frenchman and living happily ever after on the Cote d’Azur). I know I’ll encounter cultural differences, language barriers and homesickness. But that’s a risk I’m willing to take in this first step toward living my dream.
I hope you’ll all stick around and read about my adventures (officially beginning April 20), check out my recipes and learn more about life on the French Riviera.
