theboldsoul.lisataylorhuff.comThe Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." - Katharine Hepburn Author Books Articles Reviews Live in France Gift Shop Archives Seren(dip)ity This is Georges, writing this blog post. This is my first and last post here. This is for you, readers of The Bold Soul from all over the world, readers of this inspiring blog. This is also for you, strangers of the world who discover what she says and shows to us. This is in the name of Lisa, the one and only Bold Soul, my soulmate, my love, my wife. You read the last post from Lisa, dated exactly one month ago. This will be the last ever from her. Lisa died Monday evening in Paris. The cancer was too strong, too quick, too violent. Happily, Lisa died peacefully , while deeply asleep, with her family around. And we could exchange with her in the last few days. Lisa left us to join the Universe somewhere, elsewhere anyway than in my arms. Peacefully ? Who can be at peace with such unfairness ? Lisa had such positive energy, boldness, charisma and so many colors that she was strongly determined to fight. You can’t win all battles. She lost this one against an unfair aggressor. Serenity is to accept and refuse at the same time. To use serendipity to change your life, the lives of others. She changed my life. My true love. And, as she said, it is important to fight for something, not against something. She was fighting for life, not against cancer. Thank you Lisa. From me and from all of us that you transformed. We know what we have lost, but we know also what we have gained. And we know that this not over. What you have launched is there to stay, from your book (that I commit to help publish) to NoLovelocks (which will continue its fight), from The Bold Soul to the love bubbles you created, and to all the rest. I wish all of you to meet such a wonderful person, to recognize her, to love and cherish her, to let you be loved and cherished by her. It may last an eternity or several lives - I can dream can’t I, I must dream - or just a few moments. Carpe Diem. I love you, Lisa, my soul, my soulmate, my Bold Soul. And since I have to live, I will live boldly. Je t’aime, Lisa Posted on Wednesday, 08 July 2015 at 07:43 PM in Cancer in France , Living Boldly | Permalink | Comments (40) Reblog (0) Monday, 08 June 2015 There's how you think it's going to be. And then there's the curve-ball reality When you get an illness like cancer, you can do all kinds of things to prepare yourself for what is about to happen to you, both physically and emotionally. Preparing, having some information as you begin working with your doctors, will help you know what questions to ask them, and will give you some sense of control at a time when so much of your life will feel like a runaway train. So educating and preparing yourself is a good thing. You can research it, being cautious about going to reputable sites with a strong medical track record. It's the Internet, people, and there are a lot of trolls and kooks out there with too much time on their hands. And you don't want some twisted 18-yr-old giving you advice about treatment under the handle Dr. FeelBetter(Suckers) on www.DrsRUs.com. Ask around. Your friends or your friends' friends may have already gone through it. While every patient's experience will be unique to them, it can help to learn from someone who has lived it. You may not feel up to a full exercise routine while you're in treatment, but if you're going to be lying in bed a lot, you may... Read more → Posted on Monday, 08 June 2015 at 03:12 PM in Cancer in France , Just Venting, Thanks | Permalink | Comments (0) Reblog (0) Sunday, 17 May 2015 An Homage to Mad Men Tonight will be the final episode of Mad Men. But this is what "advertising" once looked like in France. There aren't many of these stone wall billboards left in Paris these days, and I love those rare moments when I spot one. Read more → Posted on Sunday, 17 May 2015 at 06:08 PM in I love Paris. So sue me. | Permalink | Comments (8) Reblog (0) Sunday, 10 May 2015 The anti-Mother's Day rant First, I want to wish my readers who are mothers a very happy Mother's Day. I think you are heroic, because parenting is so damn hard even in the best of circumstances. And I hope you have someone who is making you feel special today about being a mother. But there's another side of me that kind of hates this holiday. Yes, you heard me: hate it. To me, Mother's Day is one of those Hallmark/FTD holidays, just like Valentine's Day, that are designed to point out that there are haves and have nots in the world when it comes to love and relationships. On Valentine's Day, if you're single, you're not going to get any flowers or teddy bears or heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. If you're in a relationship with a jerk, you also won't be getting any of that swag. So when everyone around you is ooo-ing and ahh-ing about their dozen long-stemmed American Beauty Roses, you get to feel like shit. Well, it's the same for some of us on Mother's Day. Not all of us got to become mothers. For some of us, that was a choice. For others, its just how it worked out for... Read more → Posted on Sunday, 10 May 2015 at 02:23 PM in Just Venting, Thanks | Permalink | Comments (14) Reblog (0) Saturday, 09 May 2015 I never do things the easy way. Never The past month hasn't been easy. In fact, it's been mostly lousy. My family vacation in the south, that I had imagined being so wonderful and restful and full of days resting on uncrowded sandy beaches with azure blue waters before me and all the sunshine I could want, turned into me having some sort of new pain in my right side and my appetite tapering off (so much for all the Pastis I had planned to drink) as I spent more and more time in bed because it was the only place I felt even a little comfortable. Phone consultations with my GP in Paris were only partially helpful, as without seeing me in person, there was not much he could do in the way of diagnosing or treating what might be wrong. Here I was, taking a welcome break from the chemo where I should have had more energy, and yet I felt worse where I had expected to feel better. I wanted to be out with Georges and our boy, and all I could manage was to send them out to enjoy each day and smile when they came back to tell me about it -- it... Read more → Posted on Saturday, 09 May 2015 at 01:00 PM in Cancer in France , Just Venting, Thanks | Permalink | Comments (19) Reblog (0) Friday, 08 May 2015 Knitters in Paris, attention! There are so many adorable little pedestrian streets tucked away in corners of Paris. Sometimes you might just stumble on one randomly... ... and at other times, you might be led there because a dear friend is opening a wonderful news shop and atelier for knitters! Yes! My friend Aimée, owner of L'Oisive Thé et Tricot in the Butte aux Cailles (13ème) is opening a second shop in the same neighborhood! (So proud of Aimee and her husband Julien!) Located at 27 Rue Paulin Méry, just near Place d'Italie, La Bien Aimée sells wool, knitting tools and mercerie/sewing notions. They'll also be offering workshops, so sign up for the mailing list to find out when the first workshops will be available. Once you arrive at Rue Paulin Méry, you won't have any trouble finding La Bien Aimée - just look for the bright, sunshine-yellow exterior! (This was my photo taken weeks ago while they were still doing the construction, but don't you just love the color?) You'll still be able to buy some knitting products (and knit, of course!), over at L'Oisive Thé, but with the new shop, Aimee has expanded her capacity to carry even more beautiful wool and... Read more → Posted on Friday, 08 May 2015 at 12:00 PM in I love Paris. So sue me. , Shameless Plugs | Permalink | Comments (2) Reblog (0) Monday, 04 May 2015 Oldies but goodies One afternoon while in Saint Raphael, I had the time and energy to pass through the town square, and there was a nice little brocante - an antique sale. A lot of the vend...