French Wealth

France has made me wealthy. Not from the sales of my videos, my photos, my music, my book, or my (coming soon) tee-shirts, mugs, iphone apps, bumper stickers and monogrammed underwear. Nada. We’re talking about another kind of wealth here, folks. The kind you can’t buy. The “up close ‘n personal kind.” Happily, I gots it in truckloads.

It’s wealth I’ve gathered…..more accurately…..that has been bestowed upon me during my of filming “Bicycle Gourmet’s Treasure of France.”

Although these”memorable meetings with remarkable people n incredible locations” have been 90%”one nighters”, the bond forged between the locals and the exotic stranger from the far away lands has been strong and constant.

Case in point – This mail I received recently, from folks I spent a night with FIVE YEARS AGO : “Your visit stays in our memory and the door is always open for you here.” Don’t get much richer than that, do it?

And that’s just one of many. Every holiday season, every excuse to send a card , a letter or an email, I get remembered. Just for being me. And that’s the point of this ramble, folks. I’m nobody special. Just someone who followed his heart in the best way he knew how. And because of that….BECAME  SPECIAL to the people(of all nationalities) I’ve been fortunate enough to meet in my backroads travels.

What does all this mean for you? – Quite simply, everyone has a gift. Everyone has something of value to share. And your “unique quality” is most likely unknown to you. But others see it. And appreciate it.

The moral of this rant, dear reader : whenever you feel you’re “nobody special” –  to somebody else, without even trying – you are.

For the French scholars in my audience, this mail from a French “Grandmere” who offered me(and I accepted!) her guest cottage for an extended stay –

de Jacques BREL( et cela reflète  ce que je vous souhaite pour cette nouvelle année) :
Je vous souhaite des rêves à n’en plus finir et l’envie furieuse d’en réaliser quelques-uns.
Je vous souhaite d’aimer ce qu’il faut aimer et d’oublier ce qu’il faut oublier.
Je vous souhaite des silences.
Je vous souhaite des chants d’oiseaux au réveil et des rires d’enfant.
Je vous souhaite de résister à l’enlisement, à l’indifférence, aux vertus négatives de notre époque.
Je vous souhaite surtout d’être vous.

Enough warm n’ fuzzy blah blah for ya?

THROW  ME  A  BONE  HERE, PEOPLE!

What are ya Thinkin’?