Category: Fourre-tout

L’autre jour, j’ai rencontré une Française, qui après avoir passé 50 ans aux Etats-Unis, a décidé de rentrer en France pour y vivre. Ce n’est pas « mission impossible » mais c’est probablement difficile.

Je suis moi-même né à Paris, et j’ai vécu en France jusqu’à l’âge de 23 ans; après quoi, éprouvé par la guerre d’Algérie, et lassé du climat politique de l’époque, j’ai fait ma valise et je suis parti pour les Etats-Unis. J’y ai vécu un grand nombre d’années, et j’y habite encore. J’aime la France et ma ville natale, et je suis toujours heureux d’y revenir, mais je crois que je serais incapable de m’y réintégrer.

Bien que je parle encore (presque) couramment le Français, quand je viens maintenant en France, je m’y sens un peu comme un étranger. Beaucoup de choses me sont inconnues, et comme un touriste, je crains toujours de commettre des impairs. Je me souviens encore d’un voyage à Paris où un jour d’été, j’ai voulu acheter une bouteille d’eau minérale pour me rafraichir.

Ne connaissant pas le quartier où je me promenais, j’ai arrêté une jeune dame et lui ai demandé où se trouvait l’épicerie la plus proche. Elle m’a regardé d’un air interrogatif et j’ai tout de suite compris qu’elle ne me comprenait pas. Épicerie ? a-t-elle répété d’un air dubitatif… et bien oui madame, un petit magasin où l’on peut acheter des fruits et des légumes, des épices… ou de l’eau minérale. Ah m’a-t-elle enfin dit, vous voulez dire un « supermarché ? » Oui, c’est cela madame… un supermarché…

Voilà ce qui arrive quand l’on vit longtemps à l’étranger. Inconsciemment, l’on devient étranger à son tour. Comme beaucoup de mes semblables, je me sens maintenant plus Américain que Français, et les mots anglais me viennent plus facilement à l’esprit que les mots français…  Un peu peut-être comme nos cousins Canadiens français, qui parlant le français, ne se sentent plus français du tout.

Mais malgré tout, l’on ne se refait pas complètement. Les Parisiens sont connus pour leur esprit frondeur, et en dépit de mon long séjour en exil, j’ai conservé cette « qualité » bien française. J’ai gardé un esprit critique et je ne me gêne pas pour m’en servir quand l’occasion se présente.

C’est mon jardin secret… que je ne peux partager qu’avec des Parisiens. Les autres ne comprendraient pas… ce n’est pas de la méchanceté, c’est une pointe de malice… juste comme un peu de piment dans un met insipide.

Mais en dépit de tout…

« On ne peut aimer mieux qu’à Paris ; il n’est pas meilleur endroit au monde pour attendre un être aimé, qu’une place parisienne en fin d’après-midi, sous la pluie. « Jacques Attali

C’est absolument vrai!

Alain 

A few years ago, a rather ancient pétanque player declared “je ne joue pas avec les vieux » (I don’t play with old people). Considering the advanced age of that particular fellow, bystanders laughed, but there was probably some heartfelt truth in that statement.

Many old people have a reputation for being boring, and this often deters some younger players from associating with them. But being boring is not exclusive to advancing age. Anybody, regardless of age or sex, can be dull and lifeless, and since nobody wants to be bored, this unflattering reputation often acts as a repellent.

“A man’s only as old as the woman he feels.” Groucho Marx

Why, by the way, is somebody labeled boring? This probably happens when a person has nothing to say. He/she doesn’t utter a word perhaps because they don’t go anywhere or do anything worth talking about. But being long in the tooth should not prevent you from being active and jolly.

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” Zig Ziglar

 It is indeed your behavior that determines your likeability index. Becoming old and creaky (and we are all equal in this respect) does not mean that one should stop living and laughing. Geezerhood is not particularly kind to the body, but it should not affect the spirit. Many people are old, but still feel young at heart.

George Burns bless his soul, kept people in stitches until he passed away, at the ripe age of 100. Not bad for an old geezer!

“Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day…”

 That’s right. Do not fade away without battling Father Time tooth and nail. Keep and nurture your ability to laugh at anything and anybody.

Futurologists, flexologists, and sexologists have been working with old folks to nurture their “joie de vivre”, but the secret of happiness lies in socializing (with young and old) and not being afraid to show emotion. Olé!

One benefit of old age is that your secrets are safe with your friends — they can’t remember them either!

Keep moving, geezers and youngsters so the bugaboo won’t catch you.

Alain

A few days ago, Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilization of reservists, and this new development didn’t seem to fare very well with those concerned. Braving the police, thousands of citizens rioted in many parts of the country, especially in Moscow and St Petersburg… and this does not augur well for the ruler of the Russian Federation.

It could also mark the beginning of the end for Russia’s strongman. Ukraine’s “special military operation” is turning into a disastrous quagmire and is reflecting poorly on the Russian leadership. There is no enthusiasm for this war among the young people, especially when news of important casualties and material losses is starting to seep through the administration’s censorship.

There is a new rush to leave Russia before the administration clamps down on this exodus, and this dash seems eerily reminiscent of panicky Afghans trying to flee Kabul before the Taliban’s takeover.

Russia is rotting from the inside and it looks like it won’t be long before it implodes. What happens next is everybody’s guess, but just like Nelson Mandela, Alexei Navalny could be plucked out from the gulag and become head of state. It is a far-fetched conjecture, but in today’s fast-changing world everything is possible.

Unlike a few decades ago, the Russians are not very different from us. When you watch  videos from Moscow or St Petersburg, you could easily believe that they were filmed in any western city. The people dress like us and act like us. Many speak surprisingly good English and wear American T-Shirts.  You sense a desire for rapprochement and cooperation with the West.

And that’s the way it should be. Despite a few differences, Russia is a western nation, and many of its citizens are eager to rejoin this fraternity. What is missing from this equation is Glasnost and Perestroika first initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985.

If once bellicose Germany finally managed to be at peace with the world, so can Russia. It just needs to get rid of a few barrels of bad apples and abandon forever any idea of expansion or conquest. Russia is already big enough to think otherwise.

So, to quote Winston Churchill, is it the beginning of the end, or perhaps the end of the beginning? Time will tell, but the signs of decay (and perhaps regeneration) are there. They might lead to better times… unless a desperate autocrat is foolish enough to start a mutually destructive nuclear conflict.

Let’s be hopeful that some people in Putin’s bunker oppose this mad alternative and neutralize him before he commits the irreparable. Our poor planet is already hobbled as it is.

Alain