3| He Designed His Own Life
A while ago I was invited to a typical French soirée: a gathering of friends who arrive with bread, cheese, and wine. In the ID, I was by far the youngest. The oldest was in her 70s. While our society is obsessed with youth, I proudly go against the grain: I like the old. The accumulation of wisdom can be a valuable shortcut when our young eyes and ears are attentive. I love observing how those, who have been here longer than me, have so far spent their time, this finite little package of opportunities granted to us at birth.
"Oh la la" here, "oui oui" there, I heard the story of a man, who was not even present but has created a major impact on me. The woman in her 70s told about the 7 years she spent in Japan with her husband. But it was not their time in Japan that enchanted me, despite finding Japan fascinating.
Her story began with her husband's love for learning languages and his random interest in Japanese. They went to Japan on vacation and were completely seduced by the culture. Back in France, he then began to look for a job that could, perhaps one day, with a lot of luck, offer the opportunity to transfer to Japan. And so it was.
All this move was made in his 50s. That man designed the life he wanted and sought a job that could offer it. He was not letting his life happen only between the crumbs allowed by work, as I have lived until recently. He put life in the center and rolled up his sleeves. And I was like:
Privileges, it’s always them
We must take a step aside and recognize the privileges that a white French man has, with higher education, a roof, a wife who takes care of the kids, and guaranteed food. There’s room for dreams in a life without fear of poverty and misery.
But when I come across stories like his and see my own story so far, I remember the many people, privileged at various levels, with whom I’ve crossed paths throughout my journey. In common, they had in complaining a consolation for their lack of commitment to themselves. They complained about life, their bosses, the job markets, boyfriends, friends, parents, and the world. They only didn't complain about who could do something: themselves.
I only have the opportunity to be read by you, at this very moment, because I was stung by nonconformity from an early age. I didn’t accept the short weekend, the holidays that ended, and the tedious pointless work tasks. Living, such a magical thing, had to be more than that.
I wanted to feel that I owned my own life. And little by little, I have been filling my hand. I left my career, family, country, and friends and came to Europe as a digital nomad. And so my story began.
Bisous,
Tati