Returning to the Simple Life in the South of France

I cannot tell you how nice it is to be soaking up the sun in the South of France after coming out of winter in Boston. I felt like this winter was one of the worst, and the corners of my mind were wintery indeed.

I'm shaking off the icicles here and letting the sun and wine heal me good.

Of course, it goes beyond sunbathing--between hopping on trains and catching new flights I have little time for anxiety because I'm too busy living.

What is it about the everyday grind that gets us down so low that we forget how to appreciate the small things?

Part of it is the extent that social media plays in our lives and the extent to which we compare ourselves to others. I've definitely been posting on social media while traveling, but I haven't been checking it constantly. It's more that I've been posting things as an after thought.

We're slowly dying in front of our smart phones and forgetting how great it is to just bite into a strawberry or drink a cappuccino for the joy of it, rather than to later post it to instagram to get the most likes. The sad part is I still participate in this circus sometimes, and if I get caught up in it too much, I'm just another freak show act like everyone else.

I miss the days of traveling and then blogging two weeks later, when blogs were in their golden age and the best form of social media--a place to share deep thoughts, full stories, and accompanying pictures. Bloggers will always be the best internet friends I have, and I'm glad we haven't let this art form die completely.

I'm hopping into a lot a topics here, but I think what I'm trying to get at is what we're all trying to get at: how to enjoy life more, how to stress less, and how to balance it all with these newfangled gadgets getting in the way.

I always remember how to live the simple life while I'm traveling, and then forget most of it again upon returning home. Of course, I'm exaggerating, as writers do.

What's not an exaggeration is the need to love life while we still have it.

(Thus concludes my South of France post in where I ponder the meaning of life amongst these colorful window shutters, amazing cheese, and even better wine).