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I’m writing this from the Eurostar, taking my son on his first trip to London – and the first time I’ve been since the very first time I studied abroad in 2007. Back then, the pound was $2.02 and the Euro was $1.47, so even with Eurostar prices for half-term, this trip feels like a comparative bargain.

And other than that – can you believe it’s already time for another vacation?

It seems like August was last week, and that we were just getting back into the swing of things from the rentrée, and it’s already school vacation for two weeks, for the fameuse fête de la Toussaint – All Saints’ Day – on November 1.

As a person whose hobbies (writing, hosting a podcast…) are closely related to my work, and as someone with a lot of goals, and because I really LIKE what I do and the people I work with, it can be frustrating to be forced to slow down so regularly when school lets out. Again. Because the school schedule averages out to two weeks of vacation after every 6-7 weeks of class time. It seems like a lot.

I used to get frustrated sometimes with so many “slow” weeks – where I wasn’t getting as much done as I would like – because it’s FUN to make dreams come true, for others and for myself.

But as time goes on, and we work with more people, I’m starting to realize that sometimes, things are slow for a reason.

The reason isn’t what you think. It’s not because you’re not ready, or because someone is procrastinating, or because life is presenting opportunities for you to be anxious about whether that thing you want is REALLY going to happen.

Sometimes, things slow down so you can ENJOY them.

Because life isn’t always just the next goal.

If you’re coming to France for the lifestyle, or the work-life balance, you can start embodying that NOW by taking action, but then letting things run their course, without trying to rush them along. And by enjoying the big step you’re taking in completely changing your life.