Now that I’ve slept and I have a sort of clear head, I’m not going to edit or attempt to diminish the level of suffering I experienced. But I will say this. It is good to be home. This place with its endless corn fields, cows, and strange grocery stores with limited opening times, has my heart. The people who I have connected with, the stone cottage, the garden and the walks. I love it. Yesterday I got home in time to run to the Cocci market in town to pick up some initial groceries.

I was able to get some essentials but not really meal prep stuff. The Cocci Market is like a variety store with a huge selection of tinned meats and fish. It is a strange place but I can walk to it, bring Sophie, and the owner’s and workers like me and are always so friendly.

*Not my house but around the corner and the blue is just …..

After I came back, I made some salad and brought Sophie for her long-promised walk. She loved running through the green tunnels that she is now so familiar with. The summer in France has been wet and it shows. Everything is so lush here. Ferns are waist high and the grass is tall and green. The corn is just being harvested and I see huge pumpkins, cabbages and brussels in tidy kitchen gardens.

My first night back some friends picked me up and took me with them to my favorite pizza place. The owners are friends as well and we stayed for hours chatting and laughing. So much joy comes from human connection. I am grateful for this place and these people.