"Lou Reed was quoted saying that he loved to be dazzled. I decided to find a dazzle a day, even when it is not more than a tiny tulip peeking through the dirt in early Spring."
Yes! A dazzle a day is it for sure. One year, when I did not want to live because of the financial and emotional abyss I was in due to my husband's running away from home and leaving me all his business debts, I determined that every day I had to find one thing a day to be grateful for. Except for one or two days, for a year I succeeded. A kind word from someone, Orion in the hight sky, the light on the leaves of my Japanese Maple. You are my dazzle for today, dear Eve. Thank you.
I love the idea of playing the age card. It is really a perk of getting older. (I have a friend who's only in her late 60s who tells me she "plays the widow card" with plumbers, carpenters, etc. who come to her house and to when she goes to hardware stores and other shops. And her husband died after they'd been separated for years.)
Oh, I adore chain mail as a fashion statement! So many gems in this interview! "I think my personal growth in my 50s allowed the last 26 years of my life to be my favorite years." Wow, this resonated with me. Also, this is me all day long: "I have trouble with pronunciation as I never learned phonics, I don’t spell well," Hah! But this is why we hire editors, right?
In my fifties now, I feel how this could very well be the time (if there ever is any) that I feel wistful for. I feel physically vital, full of desire and creative focus, and I have enough years under my belt for some perspective on the things that used to cause me so much anxiety. At least, some of them, anyway. ;)
I also LOVED that Eve found her second husband in her 60s. I think by then I might be ready for a second husband. Thank you, Eve, for being such an inspiration.
How fantastically inspiring! One of my favorite parts from this essay mentions the personal growth that happened in her 50s. That seems a common sentiment; at least from most women I know. I wonder why this is? What is it about being 50+ that makes you go… “Ohhhhh! I get it finally!”.
I feel this way. Ever since I turned 50 (4years ago), I feel like I’m going through the same sort of personal growth as I did in my tweens; like a very late-life puberty! I love it!
Thank you for this uplifting & vivacious take on aging. (Ps… I would love to hear more about the family sending a child to sleep over camp at four years old; there’s a story there!)
This was so lovely! As an avid listener of Kim France's Everything is Fine podcast, I have heard wonderful bits of wisdom from Eve France before, and this interview has even more. I love that she moved back to New York at 50 and began a period of growth and rebirth. Inspiring for those of us going through tough times in our 40s. P.S. The photo at 4 years old is incredible and looks just like Kim! I love that Eve revisits her inner 4-year-old as a source of confidence about her true self.
Once you pass 75, it become impossible not to notice that people you know and love are having grave difficulties, and some don’t survive It becomes important, as Eve France makes clear, that you morn your loses but continue to stay alive, vital, and engaged. Fear of dying, anxiety about illness, and loneliness are your enemy. She demonstrates the value of staying in the world, being with friends and following your interests. The older you get the more you can get away with.
Lovely and inspiring article I think I must be a late developer as I am going through a personal growth period in my mid sixties finding a dazzle a day!
Yes! A dazzle a day is it for sure. One year, when I did not want to live because of the financial and emotional abyss I was in due to my husband's running away from home and leaving me all his business debts, I determined that every day I had to find one thing a day to be grateful for. Except for one or two days, for a year I succeeded. A kind word from someone, Orion in the hight sky, the light on the leaves of my Japanese Maple. You are my dazzle for today, dear Eve. Thank you.
I love that her best years have been since her 50s! This whole interview made me smile.
What a wonderul person!
I love the idea of playing the age card. It is really a perk of getting older. (I have a friend who's only in her late 60s who tells me she "plays the widow card" with plumbers, carpenters, etc. who come to her house and to when she goes to hardware stores and other shops. And her husband died after they'd been separated for years.)
I love the dazzle a day! Happy 86, Ms. France.
Oh, I adore chain mail as a fashion statement! So many gems in this interview! "I think my personal growth in my 50s allowed the last 26 years of my life to be my favorite years." Wow, this resonated with me. Also, this is me all day long: "I have trouble with pronunciation as I never learned phonics, I don’t spell well," Hah! But this is why we hire editors, right?
What a great read today in the early morning hours! Love that her best years are 50+ because I honestly could not agree more.
In my fifties now, I feel how this could very well be the time (if there ever is any) that I feel wistful for. I feel physically vital, full of desire and creative focus, and I have enough years under my belt for some perspective on the things that used to cause me so much anxiety. At least, some of them, anyway. ;)
I also LOVED that Eve found her second husband in her 60s. I think by then I might be ready for a second husband. Thank you, Eve, for being such an inspiration.
How fantastically inspiring! One of my favorite parts from this essay mentions the personal growth that happened in her 50s. That seems a common sentiment; at least from most women I know. I wonder why this is? What is it about being 50+ that makes you go… “Ohhhhh! I get it finally!”.
I feel this way. Ever since I turned 50 (4years ago), I feel like I’m going through the same sort of personal growth as I did in my tweens; like a very late-life puberty! I love it!
Thank you for this uplifting & vivacious take on aging. (Ps… I would love to hear more about the family sending a child to sleep over camp at four years old; there’s a story there!)
I totally am inspired! Such positive energy is good for the soul! Do glad you shared it!
Sari: "Is there someone who is older than you, who makes growing older inspiring to you?"
Me: Eve France.
Holy shit. Well, now we know where Kim gets it. She could get her Dazzle a Day just by looking in the mirror.
This was so lovely! As an avid listener of Kim France's Everything is Fine podcast, I have heard wonderful bits of wisdom from Eve France before, and this interview has even more. I love that she moved back to New York at 50 and began a period of growth and rebirth. Inspiring for those of us going through tough times in our 40s. P.S. The photo at 4 years old is incredible and looks just like Kim! I love that Eve revisits her inner 4-year-old as a source of confidence about her true self.
"What is possible as I get older" is something I'll adopt!
Once you pass 75, it become impossible not to notice that people you know and love are having grave difficulties, and some don’t survive It becomes important, as Eve France makes clear, that you morn your loses but continue to stay alive, vital, and engaged. Fear of dying, anxiety about illness, and loneliness are your enemy. She demonstrates the value of staying in the world, being with friends and following your interests. The older you get the more you can get away with.
Lovely and inspiring article I think I must be a late developer as I am going through a personal growth period in my mid sixties finding a dazzle a day!
She makes 86 look like the new 60! Love the profile and 💯 to using the “age card!”