French-American Love Affair

French -American love affair or L’art de vivre! n’est-ce-pas?

You can’t bottle it and you can’t buy it! I loved this commercial which to me just reinforces that the French really know how to live and have mastered the art of living or l’art de vivre! As a French-American woman, I embrace both cultures and enjoy the best of both worlds both the positives and the negatives. One of my favorite adage in this context is “Work with no play makes for a dull day!” However, it goes a little deeper especially in today’s world and in America especially where so many people are struggling to make ends meet, fighting to keep their medical and social security coverage, the message in this Cadillac commercial is ludicrous and really falls like a stray hair on the soup!

After all these years, Americans are still enamored with the French way of life and entangled in a love-hate relationship. Personally, it’s about “quality” of life and not about accumulating wealth, power, and prestige. Most regular folks would prefer the luxury of a month-long well deserved vacation than having to fork out car payments, eat macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for dinner, and live on plastic and credit scores! Yes, work hard but also make it a priority to find time to spend with family and friends and enjoy life, good food, and wine! It’s about connecting with the heart of what really matters and not appearances and it all starts in the home.