I'm out of the haze of the 1st trimester and end of year craziness. Somewhere along the line, and through the fog of exhaustion and guilt of not getting everything done I realize I was just doing too much. Work was becoming even busier, with my team expanding responsibilities and personnel - something nearly impossible working 4 days a week. Christmas was coming, I was (and still am) doing career development, and we were suffering the 1st round of winter illnesses. All I wanted to do was sleep, sleep, sleep. The bright spots were family visits.
It really hit home that this period is past over the weekend when I delivered a duvet cover I'd made as a favor for a friend's son. It was over tea and cakes with other friends and one asked me how I managed - with work, a toddler, pregnancy, and holidays - to find time to make it. I almost answered: I didn't! And yet, there it was, completed, and with a smiling little boy with his cute new bed cover.
With winter illnesses and pregnancy I've been going to the pharmacy often. While I enjoyed the convenience of the 24-hour CVS in Boston, I love the ambiance of the pharmacies in France.
Our local pharmacy is relatively small with sliding glass doors that swish open when you approach. Inside, there are small kiosk-like counters where the staff and pharmacists assist customers. If I don't walk up directly, then someone is quickly at my side asking if I need help. They take their consultation seriously, and are experts on everything they sell. The medicines are kept in the back and downstairs and are delivered via dumb-waiters which I find really quaint. Even over-the-counter medicines or homeopathy needs to be taken off the wall shelf by a staff member who will kindly explain the dose and when/how to take it.
There are no aisles of candy or magazines, rather fancy skin-care that one might find in an upscale department store, some cosmetics and, in the summer, a raft of sunscreen and related products. With the exception of the cheap or free medicines, the pharmacy is expensive. But I love the feeling of being taken care of there, and the whole store being dedicated to my well-being. Recently I went to a large pharmacy that has dedicated skin-care counter and the discussion I had with the conseilleuse on moisturizer seemed like a graduate course. Still, she was smooth: I bought more than I intended!
I LOVE French pharmacies.
Posted by: Iheartfashion | January 28, 2009 at 11:49 PM