Danielle Steel's Blog, page 46

Las Vegas

Hi Everyone,

I just took a vacation with friends from France, and their kids (my Godchild and her siblings again), to a place where I haven’t been in 14 years: Las Vegas. I’d been there 3 times in the past, just for a day or so, and found it a bit dazzling and overwhelming, but it’s definitely a place one should see at least once. And on my friends’ American Tour with their kids this summer, it was their next to last stop and I agreed to join them. And Wow!! What an adventure that was!! I never thought of it as a place for kids before, but we didn’t stop for 3 action packed days.  We saw the fabulous Cirque du Soleil’s O show, which is as beautiful as I remembered, combining acrobatics with swimming, a pool which appears and disappears, and then disappears partially, while one part of the cast is dancing on a solid floor, and the others are diving acrobatically (or from high trapezes) into the water. It is a breathtaking experience for all ages, and the children I was with were as dazzled as the adults were. On our last night we saw David Copperfield’s magic show, which is less poetic than O, but totally amazing and fascinated us too. And in between we went to roller coasters inside 2 hotels, Circus Circus and New York New York, we watched the volcano erupt outside the Mirage Hotel, and the water show of fountains outside the Bellagio. We walked for miles along the Strip, peeking at enormous, impressive hotels, each with a special flavor of its own. Some of our group went to the Venetian Hotel, but I missed that, we walked through the lobby of the Bellagio, and walked for many blocks along Fremont Street, which was a little less my cup of tea, with half naked people in costumes posing for photographs, and a lot of souvenirs and tattoo parlors. I wasn’t as crazy about that, it felt like the old days in Times Square in New York, a little on the seamy side. But the rest of what we saw in Vegas wasn’t seamy at all, but mostly fun and exciting.     We were fortunate to go with a friend who knows Las Vegas well, so he knew just where to take us. We lounged at the pool of our hotel, but not for long, just long enough for the kids to have fun swimming. We ate at very good restaurants, and indulged in gargantuan desserts at Serendipity 3, which were amazing and delicious. (I even had a banana split—shades of my own childhood!!).  And I’m not a gambler, but shopping is my vice, so I never gambled, but I indulged myself with 2 heavenly hours on my own at the shops at the fabulous Wynn Hotel….and wow!!! I had a ball, and came away with trophies I love, some costume jewelry, a skirt, and 3 pairs of really pretty shoes. The wares in the shops are glitzier than one would find at home (lots of sparkle and rhinestones!!), I got some really cute gold flats, and a pair of evening shoes!!! Much more fun than gambling—-for me—-and I get to take something home, instead of just losing money. And I found the people in Las Vegas, the locals, amazingly friendly and kind, helpful and welcoming. It must be tiresome having hordes of tourists around all the time, but they are really nice about it. And it’s a fairly international community. I had a Filipina, a Kenyan, a Chinese, and Russian cab driver at various times. And you hear every imaginable language on the streets. We arrived on Wednesday, left on Saturday, and by Friday I was walked out, we had covered miles!!! It was a wonderful trip and a fun time, a unique American city that everyone should see at least once, there is something for everyone, even non-gamblers, and for kids. The trip was a huge success, and I had a ball with my friends and their wonderful children, who had incredible endurance and were as sweet as ever. We kept them up late, trying to see everything, and walked their feet off (and mine!!) and they were still happy, cheerful and polite even close to midnight when we got back to our hotel (the 4 year old was still singing—-I was not by then). It was a perfect end of summer for me, 3 action packed days among friends I love, in a city that provides LOTS to see. And now it’s back to work for me!!! End of the summer, but a very nice one!!  I hope your summer has been great too, and ends on a happy note.

love, danielle

The post Las Vegas appeared first on daniellesteel.net.

8/18/14, Real Life

Hi Everyone,

Serious Moment. It happens sometimes. And life lessons.

On a foggy Saturday morning in San Francisco recently, after a long night of writing, just back from Paris, my phone and computer came alive at 6 am. Emails, messages, texts, calls, with the totally unbelievable news that a close friend in Paris had died, the husband of one of my very close women friends. The first thing I saw was an email that gave his first name and said he had died. I only know one person by that name, but immediately rejected that possibility….it couldn’t be him….too young….I saw him only a few weeks ago….we’re all having dinner in a few weeks….not him…I tried to figure out who else I knew by that name. I opened the email and saw his wife’s name, and I felt as though an entire mountain had come crashing down on me. It was indeed the close friend which my mind flatly refused to believe could have died.

I’ve mentioned before that incredibly I have been to many funerals of young people in the last several years. I know too many young people who have died in their late teens and early twenties, car accidents, sports accidents, a young friend of my daughters who was texting on the freeway, lost control of her car and was killed at 27, a terrible cancer at 18, my own son committed suicide at 19, and horrifyingly, of his intimate circle of friends, of interesting, lively, sane young people with good jobs, good lives, and families that loved them, only one is still alive at 30. Only One. That is a terrifying statistic, and three were suicides. But I have never lost an adult friend, one of my peers. So while I have been too far too many funerals for young people, I haven’t lost any adult friends. With better health care, people live longer, but I’m also not at the age yet when people commonly die. Or maybe I’ve been lucky with my friends. The man who died, my friend/friend’s husband was 60. How was it possible? He wasn’t sick. I felt disoriented, shocked, instantly bereft. He was truly, truly one of the nicest people I’ve ever known, funny, jolly, kind, with a great sense of humor, elegant of spirit, nice to everyone, I never heard him say a mean word about anyone, ever. He did little thoughtful gestures of kindness and friendship constantly. He had a beautiful wife whom he adored, and she adored him. One of the really great marriages I know, and always nice to be with them because of it, crazy about each other after 30+ years of marriage (and that’s pretty rare today). They walked into a room and glowed, they were enjoying life and each other. 2 Lovely children. Strong family values, fun to be with, good company, people you can count on. The list of virtues is long. And in an instant it was over.  Literally, every single man I know in Paris has a scooter, like a Vespa, not a big motorcycle, but a motor scooter. Men of all ages that I know have them, poor friends, rich friends. They always seem dangerous to me, but all the men complain that traffic is heavy, moves slowly, it’s hard to get through it, pollution is an issue, and a scooter is easy to park. So they have them. And lately, ‘Moto Taxis’ have become popular in Paris, where you hop on, sit on the back, put your arms around the driver and off you go. I have men and women friends who use them in order to buzz around. Scooters are common in France, Italy and a lot of Europe. Even men in their 60′s and 70′s use them, and I see women on them, and my friends often ride them behind their husbands. My friend was riding his scooter, made a turn, there was gravel, the scooter slid out of control, his helmet flew off, he hit his head on a rock, and that was it.   For 3 days my friends called me, we called each other, several times. No one could believe it had happened, that this lovely man was gone, his wife heartbroken, their family shattered. It was a brutal reminder that everything can change in an instant. In a single second, your life can be over or forever changed. We all know that, in theory, but when faced with it in reality, with a friend who was here one minute, laughing and funny and loving to all, and then in that single second, the light goes out forever, and he is gone. Because of the suddenness, because he was too young, and because we all loved him and his wife, we are all struggling with this terrible, shocking reality that our friend is gone. For days, men in our circle of friends called me crying, and all the women friends of the wife. And I cried a lot. This sad news has hung over me, and a whole group of friends like a pall. And the woman who I always saw laughing and happy, and so happy with him, is now brutally and suddenly alone. I am profoundly saddened and shocked. Her life will never be the same again, in a major way, or even ours.    The lessons to be derived from it are that life really can change forever, and even end, in a single second, and the other lesson is one we know too, to cherish our friends, those we love, our partners, our children, cherish every single moment we have with them, because life is so totally unpredictable. You really never know if you will see that person again. Spend time with them, enjoy them, tell them you love them, don’t let opportunities pass you by because you really never know what life has in store.

It was a bad week. Still sad over this shocking news, and probably for a long time, on the day of my friend’s funeral, we all had more shocking news. Robin Williams committed suicide that day. The whole world was shocked and felt bereft. Also too young, before his time. And I was actually fortunate to know him. A brilliant entertainer, as we all know. A really lovely person, a wonderful father. I counted back and realized that I knew him for 25 years. We weren’t close friends, but knew each other, and chatted when we saw each other at parties. He helped me with my son’s foundation. One of my daughters dated his son for 4 years, a really lovely boy. He has 3 lovely kids. And suicide and all the public attention that go with it in the case of a celebrity are so brutally hard for the family left behind. A suicide is heart shattering for any family, famous or not. But in a few days, 2 fine men were dead, one by his own hand, and the other by a terrible stroke of bad luck, and a little bit of light had gone out of the world for all of us. I am so very very very sorry for Robin Williams’ family and the terrible sadness they are living through now. The world mourns him, and his family is heartbroken.

It’s a wake up call of sorts to us all…..I will miss my lost friend so much, no gathering of friends will be as much fun without him. It will be shocking to see his beautiful wife alone, and no longer radiating joy without him……I hope that we all remember to cherish our loved ones, to tell those we care about what they mean to us, every day. Don’t put it off. Say it, live it, because that terrible single unexpected instant can happen and change everything for any of us in a flash. For Robin, for my friend Robert, let us love each other a little bit more and remember how incredibly precious and important every single moment of life is. May they both rest in peace with our love and prayers, and in great sadness, I send you so very, very much love.

danielle

The post 8/18/14, Real Life appeared first on daniellesteel.net.

Real Life

Hi Everyone,

Serious Moment. It happens sometimes. And life lessons.

On a foggy Saturday morning in San Francisco recently, after a long night of writing, just back from Paris, my phone and computer came alive at 6 am. Emails, messages, texts, calls, with the totally unbelievable news that a close friend in Paris had died, the husband of one of my very close women friends. The first thing I saw was an email that gave his first name and said he had died. I only know one person by that name, but immediately rejected that possibility….it couldn’t be him….too young….I saw him only a few weeks ago….we’re all having dinner in a few weeks….not him…I tried to figure out who else I knew by that name. I opened the email and saw his wife’s name, and I felt as though an entire mountain had come crashing down on me. It was indeed the close friend which my mind flatly refused to believe could have died.

I’ve mentioned before that incredibly I have been to many funerals of young people in the last several years. I know too many young people who have died in their late teens and early twenties, car accidents, sports accidents, a young friend of my daughters who was texting on the freeway, lost control of her car and was killed at 27, a terrible cancer at 18, my own son committed suicide at 19, and horrifyingly, of his intimate circle of friends, of interesting, lively, sane young people with good jobs, good lives, and families that loved them, only one is still alive at 30. Only One. That is a terrifying statistic, and three were suicides. But I have never lost an adult friend, one of my peers. So while I have been too far too many funerals for young people, I haven’t lost any adult friends. With better health care, people live longer, but I’m also not at the age yet when people commonly die. Or maybe I’ve been lucky with my friends. The man who died, my friend/friend’s husband was 60. How was it possible? He wasn’t sick. I felt disoriented, shocked, instantly bereft. He was truly, truly one of the nicest people I’ve ever known, funny, jolly, kind, with a great sense of humor, elegant of spirit, nice to everyone, I never heard him say a mean word about anyone, ever. He did little thoughtful gestures of kindness and friendship constantly. He had a beautiful wife whom he adored, and she adored him. One of the really great marriages I know, and always nice to be with them because of it, crazy about each other after 30+ years of marriage (and that’s pretty rare today). They walked into a room and glowed, they were enjoying life and each other. 2 Lovely children. Strong family values, fun to be with, good company, people you can count on. The list of virtues is long. And in an instant it was over.  Literally, every single man I know in Paris has a scooter, like a Vespa, not a big motorcycle, but a motor scooter. Men of all ages that I know have them, poor friends, rich friends. They always seem dangerous to me, but all the men complain that traffic is heavy, moves slowly, it’s hard to get through it, pollution is an issue, and a scooter is easy to park. So they have them. And lately, ‘Moto Taxis’ have become popular in Paris, where you hop on, sit on the back, put your arms around the driver and off you go. I have men and women friends who use them in order to buzz around. Scooters are common in France, Italy and a lot of Europe. Even men in their 60′s and 70′s use them, and I see women on them, and my friends often ride them behind their husbands. My friend was riding his scooter, made a turn, there was gravel, the scooter slid out of control, his helmet flew off, he hit his head on a rock, and that was it.   For 3 days my friends called me, we called each other, several times. No one could believe it had happened, that this lovely man was gone, his wife heartbroken, their family shattered. It was a brutal reminder that everything can change in an instant. In a single second, your life can be over or forever changed. We all know that, in theory, but when faced with it in reality, with a friend who was here one minute, laughing and funny and loving to all, and then in that single second, the light goes out forever, and he is gone. Because of the suddenness, because he was too young, and because we all loved him and his wife, we are all struggling with this terrible, shocking reality that our friend is gone. For days, men in our circle of friends called me crying, and all the women friends of the wife. And I cried a lot. This sad news has hung over me, and a whole group of friends like a pall. And the woman who I always saw laughing and happy, and so happy with him, is now brutally and suddenly alone. I am profoundly saddened and shocked. Her life will never be the same again, in a major way, or even ours.    The lessons to be derived from it are that life really can change forever, and even end, in a single second, and the other lesson is one we know too, to cherish our friends, those we love, our partners, our children, cherish every single moment we have with them, because life is so totally unpredictable. You really never know if you will see that person again. Spend time with them, enjoy them, tell them you love them, don’t let opportunities pass you by because you really never know what life has in store.

It was a bad week. Still sad over this shocking news, and probably for a long time, on the day of my friend’s funeral, we all had more shocking news. Robin Williams committed suicide that day. The whole world was shocked and felt bereft. Also too young, before his time. And I was actually fortunate to know him. A brilliant entertainer, as we all know. A really lovely person, a wonderful father. I counted back and realized that I knew him for 25 years. We weren’t close friends, but knew each other, and chatted when we saw each other at parties. He helped me with my son’s foundation. One of my daughters dated his son for 4 years, a really lovely boy. He has 3 lovely kids. And suicide and all the public attention that go with it in the case of a celebrity are so brutally hard for the family left behind. A suicide is heart shattering for any family, famous or not. But in a few days, 2 fine men were dead, one by his own hand, and the other by a terrible stroke of bad luck, and a little bit of light had gone out of the world for all of us. I am so very very very sorry for Robin Williams’ family and the terrible sadness they are living through now. The world mourns him, and his family is heartbroken.

It’s a wake up call of sorts to us all…..I will miss my lost friend so much, no gathering of friends will be as much fun without him. It will be shocking to see his beautiful wife alone, and no longer radiating joy without him……I hope that we all remember to cherish our loved ones, to tell those we care about what they mean to us, every day. Don’t put it off. Say it, live it, because that terrible single unexpected instant can happen and change everything for any of us in a flash. For Robin, for my friend Robert, let us love each other a little bit more and remember how incredibly precious and important every single moment of life is. May they both rest in peace with our love and prayers, and in great sadness, I send you so very, very much love.

danielle

The post Real Life appeared first on daniellesteel.net.

8/11/14, The dogs bark…taking it in stride

Hi Everyone,

Weirdly, I was thinking this morning and an old French saying popped into my mind. In French it’s “Les chiens aboient, et la caravane passe….” Translated, it says “The dogs bark, and the caravan moves on.” The meaning being that something may be loud and catch your attention and seem all consuming at the time, and then it moves on and turns out not to be such a big deal. In other words, don’t sweat the small stuff. And although I often have trouble remembering that myself, it is so true!! Things happen which seem loud and strident and upsetting, an event, an incident, an argument, and we all get so upset. It seems all consuming and can just ruin a day, or a week. It happens to me all the time, a child, a friend, a partner, an employer or employee says or does something that just infuriates me or hurts my feelings, and becomes the focus of my world for a while—-and maybe yours too!!! And then time passes, and with a little perspective, it just doesn’t seem like such a big deal, and life moves on. I wish I remembered that more often. And it was a good reminder when I thought of it today, so I thought I’d share it with you.

I hope there are no ‘dogs barking in your life” at the moment, with things to annoy or upset you. But if so, try to remember that the caravan will move on soon….you can remind me of that too the next time I get wound up!! Have a great week!!

love, danielle

The post 8/11/14, The dogs bark…taking it in stride appeared first on daniellesteel.net.

The dogs bark…taking it in stride

Hi Everyone,

Weirdly, I was thinking this morning and an old French saying popped into my mind. In French it’s “Les chiens aboient, et la caravane passe….” Translated, it says “The dogs bark, and the caravan moves on.” The meaning being that something may be loud and catch your attention and seem all consuming at the time, and then it moves on and turns out not to be such a big deal. In other words, don’t sweat the small stuff. And although I often have trouble remembering that myself, it is so true!! Things happen which seem loud and strident and upsetting, an event, an incident, an argument, and we all get so upset. It seems all consuming and can just ruin a day, or a week. It happens to me all the time, a child, a friend, a partner, an employer or employee says or does something that just infuriates me or hurts my feelings, and becomes the focus of my world for a while—-and maybe yours too!!! And then time passes, and with a little perspective, it just doesn’t seem like such a big deal, and life moves on. I wish I remembered that more often. And it was a good reminder when I thought of it today, so I thought I’d share it with you.

I hope there are no ‘dogs barking in your life” at the moment, with things to annoy or upset you. But if so, try to remember that the caravan will move on soon….you can remind me of that too the next time I get wound up!! Have a great week!!

love, danielle

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8/4/14, Pretty Minnie: Heads Up

Hi Everyone,

So have you read my new hardcover yet, that came out last week, “A Perfect Life”? Sorry, I don’t mean to push. I just love the book and hope you do too. I hope you get to read it on vacation, or on the way to work, or tucked into bed at night.

Actually, I was writing to give you a heads up about a children’s book I have coming out in October. It’s called “Pretty Minnie in Paris”, and it’s ADORRRABLE!!! I am in love with it!!! It’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen for little girls, about a little girl named Francoise in Paris and her tiny white long haired Chihuahua—-Minnie of course!!! They love clothes and cute shoes, and Minnie has lots of outfits, and loves to match Francoise (in matching tutus, snowsuits and party dresses). It’s illustrated and the illustrator, Kristy Valliant, did a fantastic job, capturing my real Minnie, and turning her into a storybook character everyone will fall in love with (Kristy came to visit in Paris to do drawings and take photographs and videos of the real Minnie, and captured her perfectly!!).  If you have any little girls in your life, it will make a fantastic gift (for all the little girls I know too) with lots of drawings of Paris, and Minnie in her adorable outfits. She gets lost at a fashion show in the book, and I’ll let you read the rest. It won’t be out til October, but I couldn’t resist telling you about it now. I am thrilled to have been part of the creation of the book, and my own little Minnie is of course thrilled to be the star of a children’s book. It’s full of pink and purple glitter and everything little girls love (and me too!).    I have a regular grown up novel coming out in October too, “Pegasus”, it’s a historical novel which begins in World War II. I think it’s one of my best books, a family saga of two families…..but “Pretty Minnie in Paris” will steal your heart. I hope you’re finding down time to relax and read this summer. At the moment, between writing books, I’m plunged into a novel by one of my favorite authors, it’s a cozy read and takes place in Ireland. It’s nice to relax for a change.

Take care,

love, danielle

The post 8/4/14, Pretty Minnie: Heads Up appeared first on daniellesteel.net.

Pretty Minnie: Heads Up

Hi Everyone,

So have you read my new hardcover yet, that came out last week, “A Perfect Life”? Sorry, I don’t mean to push. I just love the book and hope you do too. I hope you get to read it on vacation, or on the way to work, or tucked into bed at night.

Actually, I was writing to give you a heads up about a children’s book I have coming out in October. It’s called “Pretty Minnie in Paris”, and it’s ADORRRABLE!!! I am in love with it!!! It’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen for little girls, about a little girl named Francoise in Paris and her tiny white long haired Chihuahua—-Minnie of course!!! They love clothes and cute shoes, and Minnie has lots of outfits, and loves to match Francoise (in matching tutus, snowsuits and party dresses). It’s illustrated and the illustrator, Kristy Valliant, did a fantastic job, capturing my real Minnie, and turning her into a storybook character everyone will fall in love with (Kristy came to visit in Paris to do drawings and take photographs and videos of the real Minnie, and captured her perfectly!!).  If you have any little girls in your life, it will make a fantastic gift (for all the little girls I know too) with lots of drawings of Paris, and Minnie in her adorable outfits. She gets lost at a fashion show in the book, and I’ll let you read the rest. It won’t be out til October, but I couldn’t resist telling you about it now. I am thrilled to have been part of the creation of the book, and my own little Minnie is of course thrilled to be the star of a children’s book. It’s full of pink and purple glitter and everything little girls love (and me too!).    I have a regular grown up novel coming out in October too, “Pegasus”, it’s a historical novel which begins in World War II. I think it’s one of my best books, a family saga of two families…..but “Pretty Minnie in Paris” will steal your heart. I hope you’re finding down time to relax and read this summer. At the moment, between writing books, I’m plunged into a novel by one of my favorite authors, it’s a cozy read and takes place in Ireland. It’s nice to relax for a change.

Take care,

love, danielle

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7/28/14, Lucky Day

Hi Everyone,

Whew!! It’s been hot everywhere I’ve been lately, with more to come. I love the heat in the summer, and I’m never a big fan of air conditioning, which is like stepping into a refrigerator. I’d rather enjoy the hot weather.

I had one of those moments of reality and gratitude today, when for a moment, you see reality, take stock, and are really grateful. I had one of those days a few days ago, when everything went wrong. Small stuff, but truly aggravating. A problem in my office, some work challenges, some legal issues in the building where I live in France. My family vacation with my kids is over, which always makes me sad. They all left for their cities and went back to work, and my home is always MUCH too quiet when they’re gone. I just had one of those days when everything you touch is a problem or isn’t going the way you want. And it’s easy to forget how lucky one is on days like that. My greatest moment of gratitude was about a flight one of my children took last week, that nearly crashed on landing, and I was soooo profoundly grateful that it didn’t crash, and although badly shaken, my daughter was fine and unhurt. She called me sobbing when she landed, and just thinking of what could have happened really shook me up. As we all know, and don’t always remember, life can change in an instant, and everything you care about dissolves or goes out the window. So I am VERY grateful that didn’t happen. But I had an annoying day a few days later anyway. It happens.

And then today, I had a business lunch with my French publisher. I rushed around doing errands in the morning, and he had given me the address of a restaurant I didn’t know. When I arrived, it was on the roof of a hotel I had forgotten about, in Paris, and the roof was set up as a garden, within a block or two of the Arc de Triomphe, with a fabulous view of the rooftops of Paris, and if you walked around the terrace, which I did, you could see Sacre Coeur in the distance, and many of the spectacular monuments of Paris. The view was incredible.

When my publisher arrived, we had a delicious lunch, and sat there in the roof garden, talking business and enjoying the view (although there was a slight haze of pollution in the distance). And in a quiet moment, I looked around and realized how lucky I am, to be sitting in that beautiful place, enjoying a wonderful lunch, with all of Paris spread out before me under a blue sky. How much better can it get? I felt so blessed and fortunate as I sat there. And yes, life is aggravating at times, and bills are always bigger than one wants, and we all have worries and concerns and even aggravations with our families, and work, and just the little pitfalls of life. (The dry cleaner always manages to lose my favorite sweater, whichever one it is at the time).  It’s so nice sometimes to just have one moment of clarity, when we realize how lucky we are. Sometimes life is really hard, and terrible things happen that worry us or break our hearts…..and then at other times, there is a moment, just a flash, when all is peaceful for a few minutes and we realize how lucky we are, and how good life can be at times. I’m happy I had one of those moments, it gives you the strength to fight the battles that we all have to face. I was sooooo grateful for that lucky moment today!!! I hope good things are happening to you.

love, danielle

The post 7/28/14, Lucky Day appeared first on daniellesteel.net.

Lucky Day

Hi Everyone,

Whew!! It’s been hot everywhere I’ve been lately, with more to come. I love the heat in the summer, and I’m never a big fan of air conditioning, which is like stepping into a refrigerator. I’d rather enjoy the hot weather.

I had one of those moments of reality and gratitude today, when for a moment, you see reality, take stock, and are really grateful. I had one of those days a few days ago, when everything went wrong. Small stuff, but truly aggravating. A problem in my office, some work challenges, some legal issues in the building where I live in France. My family vacation with my kids is over, which always makes me sad. They all left for their cities and went back to work, and my home is always MUCH too quiet when they’re gone. I just had one of those days when everything you touch is a problem or isn’t going the way you want. And it’s easy to forget how lucky one is on days like that. My greatest moment of gratitude was about a flight one of my children took last week, that nearly crashed on landing, and I was soooo profoundly grateful that it didn’t crash, and although badly shaken, my daughter was fine and unhurt. She called me sobbing when she landed, and just thinking of what could have happened really shook me up. As we all know, and don’t always remember, life can change in an instant, and everything you care about dissolves or goes out the window. So I am VERY grateful that didn’t happen. But I had an annoying day a few days later anyway. It happens.

And then today, I had a business lunch with my French publisher. I rushed around doing errands in the morning, and he had given me the address of a restaurant I didn’t know. When I arrived, it was on the roof of a hotel I had forgotten about, in Paris, and the roof was set up as a garden, within a block or two of the Arc de Triomphe, with a fabulous view of the rooftops of Paris, and if you walked around the terrace, which I did, you could see Sacre Coeur in the distance, and many of the spectacular monuments of Paris. The view was incredible.

When my publisher arrived, we had a delicious lunch, and sat there in the roof garden, talking business and enjoying the view (although there was a slight haze of pollution in the distance). And in a quiet moment, I looked around and realized how lucky I am, to be sitting in that beautiful place, enjoying a wonderful lunch, with all of Paris spread out before me under a blue sky. How much better can it get? I felt so blessed and fortunate as I sat there. And yes, life is aggravating at times, and bills are always bigger than one wants, and we all have worries and concerns and even aggravations with our families, and work, and just the little pitfalls of life. (The dry cleaner always manages to lose my favorite sweater, whichever one it is at the time).  It’s so nice sometimes to just have one moment of clarity, when we realize how lucky we are. Sometimes life is really hard, and terrible things happen that worry us or break our hearts…..and then at other times, there is a moment, just a flash, when all is peaceful for a few minutes and we realize how lucky we are, and how good life can be at times. I’m happy I had one of those moments, it gives you the strength to fight the battles that we all have to face. I was sooooo grateful for that lucky moment today!!! I hope good things are happening to you.

love, danielle

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7/21/14, Lazy Days

Hi Everyone,

I hope that all is well with you and that the summer is rolling out nicely for you, with some time to relax, enjoy your families, take time off (and hopefully read a book or two. I have a new book coming out in hardcover tomorrow, “A Perfect Life”. I hope it will be the perfect summer read for you!!).

As I’ve confessed to you before, among my many confessions to you, I’m a creature of habit, AND I am not good at relaxing. I always love having something to do, and getting me to just sit still and take a vacation and enjoy some down time is no easy task. I always think I should be accomplishing something, writing an outline, helping one of my children, doing spring cleaning, or pulling a closet apart. But in spite of that, I take a vacation with my five youngest children every summer, and it is one of the best moments of the year for me, wherever we are, rivalled only by a week together at Christmas with all of my kids. We have gone to the same hotel every summer—we used to spend three weeks there, but now with all of my kids working, and busy with their careers, we are grateful to have a week together. And in spite of myself, eventually I unwind and actually relax. And it is sheer heaven being with them. We swim, lie in the sun, have meals together, they tell some hair raising stories of pranks and mischief they committed when they were younger, and are thrilled to tell me everything I didn’t know, which they think is hysterically funny now. We share long lazy meals, go to favorite restaurants, play games like Scrabble and cards, and a recent addition called “Catch Phrase”, which I love, it’s a little bit like charades where you have to describe a word, with a timer ticking, while everyone tries to guess the word, and pass the game along before the buzzer sounds.  Some years they come with their boyfriends and girlfriends, or just a friend, and sometimes they come alone. Only one of the younger five is married, and my son in law fits right in with the rest of my ‘kids’ (in their mid and late 20′s now), and is a welcome addition to the group.  It is one of the rare times of the year when we all relax together, enjoy each others’ company, reminisce about old times when they were little and other vacations we shared. And we have gone to the same hotel for about 25 years, all of their lives. Many of the same people still work there, and it’s like meeting up with old friends every year.

I work so hard all year that I never take vacations, and it’s a huge treat for me to have a whole week with my kids, especially since now we live in 4 cities, so getting even the youngest 5 together is a HUGE treat for me. The older 3 married ones with children make their own plans with their families in the summer, it’s too complicated to plan summer vacations with them now.

I start the vacation with a stack of books to read, a note pad in case I want to write, and a briefcase full of work and projects in case I want to work, and by the second day, I no longer care about the projects, don’t even look at my briefcase, and the notepad is still blank and stays that way. And all I care about are the fun days with my kids. We usually manage to go to a disco on one night, and this time danced til 4 am and had a ball. And the rest of the time we spend our evenings at the hotel, except for two nights at favorite restaurants.

The BEST part of the vacation is being with my kids. I’m so grateful they are still willing to spend their vacations with me, and I hope they continue to do so for many years. And impossible to believe, by the end of the vacation, I’m actually relaxed, and it’s actually hard to go back to work. But I’ll get busy, and can’t wait for next summer to roll around again. Other than Christmas, it’s my favorite week of the year. I’ll be seeing them all again for a weekend for my birthday next month, but that’s always more rushed and more chaotic, this summer holiday with them is everything it should be…..lazy days….that are so precious to me, and memories we will cherish forever. I hope you get some time off this summer. You deserve it!!! And it gives one new energy to unhook for a little while!!!

love, danielle

 

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