And it goes fast, far too fast. But it seems only to happen when the weather is lovely and the scenery perfect. When it’s miserable out, time drags on so slowly it’s hard to imagine you’ll ever get to the other side.
But here I am on the other side of my time in Provence. Four months seem to have slipped by like a dream. When I was out for my last few bike rides, I kept reminding myself to soak up the views and warmth from the sun, as shortly those views would be gone from my daily routine. Strangely, everything around me in Provence is so familiar I get used to being surrounded by such beauty, I forget I won’t see it all the time. And while I always plan to be back—hopefully for good one day—I can never be sure. You can never know what life will throw your way which could change those hopes and plans. It’s why I’d rather simply be in Provence.
Everyone tells me I shouldn’t complain as I had a very lengthy stay, and I am not remotely ungrateful. It’s that every time I leave, I am sadder and sadder. It gets harder each time as I leave more friends, more new-found routes, and more things and people to love behind. It is one of the dilemmas of having people you love scattered around the globe. No matter where you are, you will be missing some of them, and there is nothing anyone can do to fix that.
What can’t so easily be scattered is a location, view, or landscape; some places speak to our souls more than others. Olive trees and vines, mountains and sea, and the Mediterranean countryside feel like home to me. The abundant life all year round makes me feel alive too. The beauty fills me up, it lifts me when other parts of my life might not be going well, and the environment is enough to help buoy me through any rough patch. My environment impacts me in a way that perhaps it doesn’t for others, and it has the power to change my entire well-being. Provence isn’t just a place I like; it restores me mentally, physically, and emotionally. While I am sad to have left yet again, I am so lucky to have found such a healing place. A bientôt ma belle Provence.
Mollans-sur-Ouvèze
Montbrun-les-Bains
