A Chic French Lockdown – Day 22 – Schedule “Chic” Day
May 11, 2020
In 30 More Chic Days by Fiona Ferris, Day 22 is “French Friday.” The idea behind the term “French Friday,” according to Fiona, is that there was a set-aside day specifically to try a new idea to incorporate something small and “French” into her week. It was nice to have a day on the calendar when she would intentionally try a new chic idea or bring back an old idea that had inexplicably fallen by the wayside. Fiona writes that she might upgrade one aspect of self-care, put on her favorite “Paris Cafe” playlist while she was preparing dinner the kitchen or maybe she might plan to watch a YouTube video on scarf tying. It was a fun way to schedule a lighthearted and small “upgrade” into the week.
Another idea that she proposes along the lines of “French Friday” is the “low-spend” (or “no-spend”) Friday. The plan is to thoughtfully examine our spending for that one day as if we really were living in our petite, Paris dream apartment. (I can assure you that Paris is beautiful and delightful and …. one of the most expensive cities in the world. Everyone, no matter their budget, examines their daily spending if they are living here!) It’s an upbeat idea that has us asking ourselves if we would really purchase that item if we were living in Paris (or whatever our dream location is.)
Both scenarios give us the opportunity to use our imagination to put a bit of fun and elegance in our Friday. The idea of a “French Friday” is especially useful if we happen to be in a bit of a funk or life seems a bit dull. Adding just one small touch of French “glamour” to our day is doable and just might pep up our mood a small bit. Whenever I’m feeling a bit “blah,” a small touch that doesn’t take very much energy (like playing music) or putting my afternoon tea in a pretty mug (rather than my faithful travel mug), can lift my mood a bit. I feel encouraged to do one more “small” upgrade, like do an extra-gentle facial cleaning and lotion routine which also serves to make me feel a bit more pampered. Which in turn inspires me to try another small “special” like put on a pretty scarf the next day. Pretty soon, I’m back to my usual sense of energy and pep. When we use the idea of a “French Friday” – it reminds us to try something fun and pretty just for our own enjoyment of it. It’s almost an insurance policy against falling too deeply into a boring rut or the do-nothing “blahs.”
Today is the first day of “deconfinement” here in France. It was strange to walk out this morning for my “Beauty & Gratitude” walk without my ID and “papers.” And then I waltzed right back out at around 10:45 (again without papers – yippee!) to see what stores were actually open on the rue de Passy (the street with all the shops in my neighborhood.) Of course, one has to wear a face mask in order to enter a store. And use a hand sanitizer that shops have set up at the door. There are strict limitations on the number of patrons that can be in the shop at the same time. Most of the shops are very small so it seems that at the moment, only one or two shoppers can be inside at one time. It was delightful to be able to go to my favorite skincare boutique and pick up a new bottle of lotion and of sunscreen. (In the cold, rainy days of early March, I was not thinking of sunscreen when we were given a day and a half notice that all non-essential shops would be closed for the foreseeable future. (Happily, the French consider chocolate to be an essential item so the specialty chocolate shops remained open along with grocery stores, bakeries, pharmacies and wine shops.)
What will happen now with the CoVid-19 infection numbers now that Paris and the nation have started a step or two towards “deconfinement”? I guess we will find out in the next 2-3 weeks.
