Retrouvailles: The French Word for Happiness of Meeting Again After a Long Time
Friendships, coming home and a notification about the change in frequency of posts
What is a friend?
I think a friend is someone who, even if you haven't seen each other for a long time, makes you feel as if the time passed is only an hour short when you meet again.
Sometimes you don't see a friend for months, years. You think you lost her, but when you get together, you see that the warmth between you has never disappeared, and feel grateful. This is one of the most magical moments a human being can experience.
During the pandemic, this happened to all of us to some extent. We couldn't see even our closest friends for months, we couldn't touch them. But we longingly hugged each other at the moment we met. We enjoyed happiness as if there was a risk of losing something very valuable, but we somehow managed to keep it. Or as if we're finally back within the safe walls of our home after a long and adventurous journey.
This unique feeling has a name in French: Retrouvailles
It's a lovely word, just as friendship.
Retrouvailles reminded me of the hero of Homer's Odyssey, the Odyssey, who, after having great adventures, returns to his beautiful and faithful wife Penelope. It's probably the greatest homecoming story in literary history.
Sometimes breaks are nice too, if you're leaving for something worth it. But coming back is better. Like the last brushstroke that completes a beautiful painting, or the last sentence of a novel. Fulfilling and satisfying.
Starting next week, Words of the World will be in your mailbox only on Fridays. I think it would be better to publish one post per week to maintain the quality of the content and format. I choose to post once a week rather than compromise on quality. Hope to meet in words next week.