Au Cochonnet Marin

The Covid-19 ordeal has been very propitious to television binging, and my main dish in this area has been a French program called “Ça commence aujourd’hui » (It is starting today.)

The promise of this production is to invite 4 or 5 people with unusual stories and have them questioned by a host (Faustine Bollaert) in front of a live audience. The stories are indeed unusual and quite entertaining.

Yesterday I watched a show about couples, who after 10 or 15 years of marriage, separated (or divorced), and finally reconciled a few years later. Nothing extremely unusual about this, except for one case. A former couple, living with new partners, was secretly having an affair… with their original spouses. How deliciously perverted can that be?

In another episode, after having a serious car accident, a woman ended up in a coma. She remained in this state for a certain time, but while totally unable to move or to respond, she heard and understood everything said around her.

Since she stayed unresponsive for weeks, one day she heard doctors talking about disconnecting her from life support. And to her horror, she remembered that she also volunteered to donate her organs…

Fortunately, her parents were always at her side, talking to her and holding her hand. Although unable to talk, the bedridden woman finally managed to move a finger to signal that she was conscious, thus probably saving her own life.

Mythomania was the topic of another show. In this story, a young woman meets a confident young man. He is a policeman. Nice uniform, badge, service revolver.

“A policeman in plain clothes is a man; in his uniform, he is ten. Clothes and titles are the most potent thing, the most formidable influence, in the earth.” ~ Mark Twain

 The man is very busy and she can only see him on weekends… but the romance is going well.

 One evening, they go out for dinner but the man gets involved in a fight. The police are called. Even though he is not the aggressor, the young man is arrested and cuffed. When his girlfriend protests and tells the police that her boyfriend is also a cop, they laugh at her. This man is not, and never was a policeman. They had been looking for him for quite a while and were glad that they finally caught him.

As it turned out, the busy young man had 2 other girlfriends. He saw one at night, and the other one during the day, pretending that he was working nights. Ah, the allure of the uniform…

If you understand French and want to be entertained with true surprising stories, tune to YouTube and look for “Ça commence aujourd’hui ».

Alain

“Retirement: That’s when you return from work one day and say, “Hi, Honey, I’m home — forever.” – Gene Perret

For some people, this prospect can be daunting indeed… Spending the rest of your life tethered to your mate can be an unbearable prospect for some couples. Even in their twilight years, they would rather separate than suffer this predicament.

No matter how much you care for your mate, you need to escape for  periodic gulps of fresh air. Intermittent uncoupling is an absolute necessity in any relationship.
Even if you dearly love “canard-a-l’orange” you will quickly tire of it if you are offered the same dish every single day. Retirement, for some people, can mean a daily dose of “duck a l’orange” and after a while it loses its appeal.

Today, it is not unusual (and healthy) to have both husband and wife working. They part in the morning and meet again in the evening. This timeout is the safety valve that secures their common bond. But when both retire at the same time, this critical safety valve is removed and it will dangerously increase the strain in their close quarters.

Togetherness is one thing, but detention is a different animal. My cat usually does not say much, but we have an understanding. She once texted me “You can pet me for about a minute, but that’s it. After that, you do it at your own risk.”

So, we have an arrangement. After breakfast, I pet her for a few seconds and I let her loose in the garden. She can disappear for hours but she will reappear a few times during the day. If I did not let her go, she would become very testy and prone to fight. The same thing will happen to your mate if confined too long in the same monotonous environment.

Some people look at retirement like Nirvana, but many retirees come to regret the harsh reality of their new situation. Leaving a job can be traumatic. Being suddenly cut off from your daily routine and your colleagues creates a large void that needs to be filled.
Some people are incapable of doing this and slump into a deep depression. Many want to get back to work, but many can’t.

Retirement is an important decision, and before you embrace it, you need to prepare for it. Doing nothing is fine (for an hour or two) but after a short while, work starts to look rather exciting.

“Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.” Harry Emerson Fosdick

 Alain

Life is a long series of anticipations… The excitement of waiting for a critical event to materialize.

Significant occasions are always eagerly looked for. For me, one of the earliest and most anticipated life occurrences was the completion of my military obligations. Until 1996, every young man in France was compelled to fulfill his “service militaire” before being able to get on with his life.

The time served in the armed forces varied, depending on France’s foreign involvement. For my part, I  served 28 months (852 days), a very long dark tunnel to my discharge date. It finally came, around Christmas 1962, and it was the best gift ever. Like being reborn… or being released from a mental institution.

Anticipation is a gift… like a lighthouse’s beam guiding you through a stormy night.

After a rather difficult year, I now anticipate the end of 2020 with great trepidation. Starting in November, some earthshaking events will occur in quick succession.

“Finally, after more than a year of unprecedented anticipation, the talking stops and the cricket begins.” ~ Jonathan Agnew

On November 3rd, we will have our presidential election. A long-awaited event with all the drama that it entails. America is currently cracking at the seams, and a great majority of citizens are yearning for drastic changes.
In Washington, the perennial swamp that was to be drained years ago is still there. The persistent foul smell emanating from the Casa Blanca makes that situation unsustainable. The nation is ardently praying for the coming of a new Messiah.
It has been said that the present pugnacious tenant might refuse to leave his bunker… he might have to be removed “manu militari.”

Another highly anticipated event might happen before the year is over. I have heard very encouraging news about the possibility of having a Covid-19 vaccine ready and available by Christmas.
If this happens, I am willing to forsake Christmas gifts for at least ten years… and I am pretty sure that millions of people would like nothing better than to (temporarily) close Santa’s shop.

The 3rd event (no anticipation) is my birthday. On January 6 (the Epiphany) I will add another year to my long list of achievements? Lately, I have tried to cancel birthdays, but like uninvited guests, they keep coming back year after year.
To cheer me up, some friends have told me that I am not getting older… I am just increasing in value.

I feel better… I think.

Alain