Uncategorized Archives - Renee Jenais

How can I do this?

I had done months, actually more like decades of preparation for this move. On some level I have been preparing for it for my entire life. As I prepared to leave the US this past summer, I remember hearing the phrase, “be prepared to feel stupid all the time.” This was in reference to living…

Lessons I learned from 5 days in Sète France

After a wonderful 35 days in Carqueiranne it was time for me to move on to my next destination. I had 5 days that I needed to cover before moving into a longer-term rental in the Dordogne that would see me through until January. As I contemplated where I wanted to spend those 5 days,…

Getting Started

My last few weeks in the US were jam packed with a crazy work schedule, last minute things to take care of and spending as much time as possible with my kiddos. On that Saturday morning, I was ready, all the tasks were done, everything was packed into 3 large suitcases and even Paolo was…

Being Present in Another Loss

It was my birthday and my father’s name popped up on my phone. I was on a zoom call with friends at the time we were all booking flights for a trip this summer to Tonga. I thought I would call him right back since we were almost done but when he called again a…

The Retreat

As the end of 2023 approached, I knew I needed a reset. I knew I needed to step back and re-evaluate my life, re-evaluate me. I felt like 2023 had beat me to a pulp and I wanted to do some self-care and prepare to go into 2024 differently. I wanted to leave behind some…

Choosing Love

It’s February, the month that we commercially celebrate romantic love. While personally I believe that love should be celebrated every day in all its wonderful aspects, love is also something that is very much in my awareness these days. I have found myself in deep contemplation about the loving relationships that I have had in…

How do you speak to yourself?

The things you say to yourself daily matter – in many ways. And I’m not referring to when you walk down the street and talk out loud to yourself – we all do that at times. I’m referring to your inner dialogue with yourself in the privacy of your own mind. As you quietly address…

A Lesson from the Feminine in France

After a full day on the TGV from Biarritz to Paris and Paris to Nice followed by a local train to Menton. I find myself at the easternmost end of the French Riviera, just east of Monaco and just on the border with Italy. My Airbnb was a 6 block walk from the train station…

Lessons from Mom – Choices

Ever since that morning over oatmeal when my mother told me that she was leaving, that she could no longer handle the burden of motherhood, that she needed to build her own life in her own way, my mother reflected to me the power of owning your own choices. While I rarely agreed with the choices that my mother made after that, she did at least make her own choices.