Frere Jaques - Dormez Vous?

Are you sleeping your life away? Because I did, just like Frere Jacques. Frere Jaques is a famous French children’s song that asks “Are you sleeping brother John?”

I spent an entire decade taking NyQuil every night and I didn’t even have a cold. What I had was a horrible marriage and a little voice that kept me up, whispering in my ear. It was my INNtuition telling me things I didn’t to hear, namely my marriage was a sham that no amount of therapy could fix. It was INNevitable I’d have to leave.

I took NyQuil to muffle that voice. It was like pulling the covers over my head, tuning out that INNsistant, persistent voice and a decision I did not want to face. From the time I was 33 till I was 43 years old, I went through life half asleep. I had loved my husband for five joyful years before the rupture of parenthood. Our infant son deserved an INNtact family. I was terrified to be a single mom. So I silenced my INNtuition with NyQuil every night before my husband came home from work. It was so much easier to sleep through life than confront reality.

But after a decade, I woke up. I knew I was born for more. More love. More joy. Less tears. Less criticism. I had clarity. I had to choose the light. I could not INNdure the lack of INNtegrity, knowing my marriage was a sham. So I stopped taking NyQuil and took a deep breath and the giant leap into my Midlife Renaissance.

12 years later, I write this from Paris, where I’m spending 6 weeks with my French boyfriend and dog. Every night is an Earnest Hemmingway worthy Moveable Feast because my dog is welcome at the finest bistros and cafes. Here I am, an American in Paris, living in a Left Bank apartment. I explore the streets where Colette, George Sand, Anais Nin and Edith Wharton found their voice as writers. I live around the corner from The Odeon Theatre where Sarah Bernhardt found her golden voice as an actress. I live by the homes and bookstore where Gertrude Stein, Natalie Clifford Barney and Sylvia Beach encouraged the voices of others. Here I am by Cafe Flore and Deux Magots where Simonde de Bouvoir wrote her feminist philosophy and so many INntellectual and artists conversed. I am litterly singing in the rain recording my videos and dances. I am on fire. I traded my husband, the ultimate wet blanket, for this life of INNspiration.

I am so lucky. My life is INNcredible. It’s so much better than my wildest dreams. The Eiffel Tower to me is a 1000 foot billboard shimmering in the shape of a Letter A. It is a sign saying “Don’t be afraid. Leap into the arms of your Plan B. Our Plan B is so even better than the life we INNvisioned! Our Plan B is really our Plan A Plus!

So if you are ambivalent and INNtrenched and stuck, I am here to INNspire and INNcourage you. Don’t be afraid. When you’ve tried everything, and you know it is time to leap. Have faith in yourself. Trust the universe will catch you. Your life will be so INNcredible, you’ll have to pinch yourself to be sure you’re not dreaming!

”Fais des beau reves” is French for sweet dreams. That’s what awaits in your Midlife Renaissance! You can create a life that is so magnifique, life will be a dream!

So wake up Frere Jaques. Morning bells are ringing. It is time to rise and shine. Your Midlife Renaissance is here to great you and welcome a brand new day.