Jules Heartly |  July 4th 2023

Ambushed While On Vacation.

A  group of strangers came up to me one by one, and gave me an ultimatum, a serious reminder. Each following the same strong pointers made by the previous one, but they didn’t know each other! 

It all started with the  idea of being the fan that follows their dream team, no matter where it goes. In this case it was to follow the tour of France Cycling event during their first week in all the arenas. 

What I found besides the excitement around the event, already described in my previous blog, was an indescribable tapestry of life events and experiences.  All brought to me at random, not only in location but on occasions. 

The first one was an encounter I had  in the city of Bayonne (France)  in the middle of a crowd waiting for the riders near the finish line.  There she was, a quiet woman, wearing her red hair, a blue dress and the calmness of a mountain morning on her face.  Carrying a large backpack, which I thought impossible to walk with the flip-flop sandals she had on. 

It was her first time watching cycling. The  first time among the tour of France energized fans.  The wait was long, and we ended up chatting briefly at first. Once the event was over, we engaged in an interesting conversation about her reason for being there at random.  The hotel concierge at the place she had arrived that day insisted she take the chance and watch the biggest cycling event in the world.  Christine left him  to persuade her, and ended up standing next to me making an effort to catch some of the action behind two rows of people, who had arrived hours earlier to save a good viewing place. 

Born in Germany and with a PHD in Philosophy  and hands-on studies in farming, Christine wants to make a difference in the world by practicing and teaching self sustained farming.  The idea is to effectively combat climate change and, in the process, diffuse people with her love for nature, for growing and consuming organic products, and experiencing the zen-ness of working the land. 

I felt we spoke a similar language, and I am not talking about English for sure.  But the other one, The one which communicates our desire to make the world a better one by planting seeds wherever we can, as I have done with my books series, Mornin The Super Bird. 

But the story had just begun, because the following day, in the town of Bareges, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, I met three young women from Paris, who were hiking and at times Hitchhiking. They did it because they enjoy walking and being in contact with nature, and while doing so spreading that love with others they get to talk to. 

 It was a very foggy afternoon at la Mongie, the place we arrived after giving these adventurous women  a ride.  The fog had intensified and was hard to even see 100 feet ahead, but even in those conditions within a few minutes we were talking to a group of personas sitting outside of a camping van, waiting for the passing of the cyclists, three days in advance.

 We all engaged in a conversation about living life and occasionally doing what makes us happy.  They offered fresh apricots, which we all enjoyed.  I felt forgiven for my broken-heavy French accent , and in a cloud of nothingness, where there was nothing too important, but to share  the moment, the stories, the coincidences that had brought us together for that short period. 

And once again we spoke the same language, that of effortlessly enjoying life, of the passion and admiration for the sport, that of respect for other human beings and of the inner desire to share those instances without any interests or personal agenda. 

With the fog getting thicker, we  all said our goodbyes and continued with our journeys. 

I went back to the hotel in Barèges, where I was staying , and sat down outside on the patio, with the intention of writing.  The sounds of music distracted my attention.  Up the road, there were two young fellows playing their musical instruments and inviting everyone to their upcoming presentation. 

“If that is a taste of their music, the group must be good”, I said to myself.  Shortly after, my friends Philipe and Nathalie, owners of Hotel Castets de Ayre, invited me to come along and watch the live show. 

 Not to prolong the story (as this is supposed to be a short blog).. 

We all arrived to watch one of the best jazz performances I have witnessed. Bear in mind, I live in NY, home of great Jazz,  The group playing was jazzvoyageur.  

 Hugo Jarry on guitar, Marcello Marella on tenor saxophone, Rémi Fahed on clarinet, Adele Salomé on violin, , Bastien Mntl on contrabass, Loïs Lacour on clarinet Yannick Jacquet on cello.

 But the music was not only the reason why I mentioned them here, it was their mission.   They live in different parts of France and they get together to play for one month during the summer  in camping sites and high altitude shelters in the Pyrenees. 

They travel ON FOOT., carrying their instruments and they stay mostly in huts and sometimes in a camping site. The jazz Traveler group plays along the way during their long journeys and to the mountain goers, hikers, nature lovers, and, of course, in low-key good places in the towns along their way. 

So really at this point, the story of the Tour of France cycling event has the even more interesting backdrop of the people, my encounters with them, their teachings ,my learnings, and the contagious spirit of  the pursuit of happiness.

Each one of the people I had the opportunity to listen to their stories, talked about struggles to achieve the things they pursue, the interests that motivate them, their inner calling, and their biggest desires.  But not ONE of them talked about giving up, quitting, or  stopping leaving their print. 

Each person I met during those two days, had the  strong motto, one that felt as voracious as a 6-foot wave crashing on the sea.  Beyond earning tons of money or not, beyond owning the best car or the large house, they were invested in taking the time to pursue the things they love, to share them without seeking any gratification more than the joy spread to other people and the feeling they were making other people’s lives better if at least for a few moments.  They all got the satisfaction of doing the activities they love, like playing music, dancing, chatting, farming, or just writing like what I did with this blog. This, their language, was one silently spoken and loudly understood.

And to each one of them, I want to say thank you for once again inspiring me and reminding me to continue the journey.

I hope somehow, you my reader, also get inspired to continue yours, but mostly to take the time, an hour, a day, a week, whatever your lifestyle affords you, to live a moment of happiness, by doing something you truly enjoy and helping making this world a better one!

Always happy to hear your thoughts and comments.  So please reach out! 

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