#life 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…

Choosing a dream!

Finally deciding to go after your dreams is not for the faint of heart. In March, I dove in head first to the path that through a series of synchronicities laid itself out in front of me. My dream is to immigrate to France, to live there and possibly one day have citizenship. In those…

Give me a break!

It is Sunday morning; the alarm goes off at 6:30am. Yes, on purpose. At 8am I have my bi-weekly Lifebook accountability group meeting. You see, three years ago now, I went through the Lifebook program which has you build a book that represents your vision and strategy for twelve key areas of life and then…

Dreams, Doors & Decisions

The day before had been my birthday. My dad and I had spoken about him going into hospice care and yet this morning, a different door opened. You see, since I was a small child and heard my great grandfather speaking French and speaking about his homeland, I had this fantasy of living there, of…

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…

Relating in Death

I was sound asleep, so cozy and comfortable. As I began to awaken, I felt him next to me. He was spooning me as he usually did. I felt his skin against my skin, I felt this electric current running between us. As my brain began to awaken more and I came into full consciousness,…