“Wherever you go, there you are” — Jon Kabat-Zinn
I recently met another French expat living in the United States!
It was a sunny Tuesday morning. I entered my favorite cafe to order a light roast cappuccino to-go. To my surprise, the barista already knew what my order was going to be and asked me where I had been. I explained that I had taken an interest in learning how to pull my own espresso shots after buying a new machine. To my dismay, I had not mastered the craft nor perfected the taste. Though I sincerely missed the cafe where I could pay an expert to make cappuccinos for me, it had been a stressful month where I needed to save any time I could and my own machine saved me a trip to the coffee shop. The barista was understanding and non-judgmental. They only thought I had moved back to France. I replied that I had actually thought about moving back for a month or so to visit some friends and family.
I turned around to find a place to sit while waiting for my order and the cafe was pretty packed. Someone who was sitting alone at their table noticed me and offered me a place to wait. “I heard you mentioned that you are also from France!”
I suppose you never know who you’re going to meet when you leave your house on a given day. So it was quite pleasantly serendipitous that I had met a fellow French.
They told me that they had moved here a few months ago and that this was their second time after ten years. So much had changed and it wasn’t a smooth landing, they said. Losing their baggage as well as losing their direction while trying to find their apartment, a silver lining seemed to emerge once they found their dream house to settle down.
But a few days after moving in, they discovered that the living room floor had severe termite damage! “L’univers n’arrêtera pas de me donner le chaos,” they said. Translation: The universe will not give me a break.
“And so it is,” I replied.
The fellow responded that they had recently been meditating on this philosophy. Sometimes things are what they are, and rather than overcoming or ignoring what it is or happens to be, we have no choice but to accept reality.
Little did they do that I had also already been through the ordeal of having termites and when it comes to pests, I couldn’t care less about maintaining peace and I am more than happy to wage war.
In my experience, termites have to go. Their infestations are what cause billions of dollars of damage across the nation each year. Luckily, the great local Natural Science Exterminator was able to exterminate and repair my home in a day. I recommended the company to my fellow Frenchman and assured them that everything would be alright. I offered to keep in touch and left with my cappuccino in hand to start my day, feeling joyful that I was able to help someone that day.
If you ever need an exterminator, I hope that this information helps you too. You can give Natural Science Exterminating a call.
Natural Science Exterminating
11642 Knott Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92841