If you’ve been hanging around this blog for a few years, you likely remember that I post about my annual Nurture Project. With this project I pick one person who could use a little extra love and secretly make it happen for the year. Sometimes this is extra letters in the mail. Sometimes it’s responding in a timely manner to texts. Sometimes it’s dinner. It can be as simple as leaving comments on a social media post.
We all like virtual high fives.
But early this year I discovered I had cancer and all external lovey dovey kindness was reeled in. I had to concentrate on doctor’s appointments, treatments, and sleep. I had this crazy thought in the middle of it all:
I wish I only had cancer.
Not cancer AND looking after a toddler AND managing my shop. Wow it would be so great to only have to deal with cancer.
That’s some interesting perspective.
That said, the toddler did make days more amusing. Only now when I’m nearly in the clear can I even give it a voice. And even then, if you ask me about it, I’m not likely to want to talk about it. It’s going to take time.
So while I was in my panic, I think the Nurture Project energy turned toward me. I received prayers, mail, gas cards (so useful), Amazon gift cards (for books), comfy lounge clothes, wigs, hats, and even surprisingly flexible schedules for my care givers so they could cart me here and there, or look after Amélie or make food, or send me nice emails.
Thank you for this!
I even had someone ask for ALL the Paris Letters I’ve done, which it turns out, is 96 this December. I didn’t even know I was so close to 100. I sent them off with an open heart and wrapped in a bow. Now she’s putting them in clear plastic envelopes and placing them in a binder, which is also my preferred storage method for basically ALL THE PAPER THINGS. If you’re curious, here’s the listing which made my year. I hadn’t whipped up the December 2018 letter until she asked for the order. So kind! The package retails for over $800 bucks, but I couldn’t… I just couldn’t… I… it’s too much. So we agreed on $500 USD and a massive box of letters went her way.
Now that I’m on the tail end of treatments, I have slightly more energy. I whipped up a new set of note cards to send thank you notes to friends.
Watercolour fun good times! And a chance to include images of all my vintage French postage. I’m coo-coo-for-coco-puffs in love with French stamps.
This one has a ship sailing the Seine and an airplane flying over Pont Saint-Michel in Paris.
I can’t forget my beloved Jardin du Luxembourg and a hot air balloon stamp. By the way, there is so much Paris art out there with hot air balloons overhead. Never, not once, have I spotted a hot air balloon. When asking a pilot about this he told me that Paris is a no-fly zone and there are helicopters in the sky patrolling that WILL shoot you out of the sky if you try it. Quoi!?!?!?
So if you try it, I suggest you have a parachute like the guy in the stamp above.
Maybe it’s best to keep your feet firmly on the ground, and why not. In Paris, the view from the ground is lovely. This is one of the Haussman buildings we see all over Paris. Baron Haussman was the architect behind these apartments. The name Haussman literally translates to House Man in German. A perfect name for an architect.
Here we have the Sorbonne, the university for so many great thinkers, such as…
Marie Curie who is featured on the stamp on this note card.
Ahhh so satisfying. With these new note cards in my shop I feel like I’m back baby. I’m back.