The Empress Book Club: I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself. Flirting with Joy... đ
In which we meet the potential lovers, and see Paris from so many angles!
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Fellow Empresses, How the hell are you?
So many questions came up reading chapters 5-7 this week! Perhaps, some of them resonated with youâŚ
As a midlife woman have you ever felt invisible? Or it could be that, like Glynnis, you do not see yourself as middle-aged, yet. Maybe you feel younger? What informs how you see yourself? Is it the perceptions of others or is it mostly self-reflexive as it is with Glynnis?
Have you ever flirted with someone after a long stint of not having done so? What did it feel like? Did it make you feel especially alive? How do you define enjoyment? Is it physical? More sensory-based? Or is it emotional? Does your enjoyment involve your work, or is it more about permission to be lazy? Are you able to put your work down and enjoy yourself as Glynnis does? Or does workaholic guilt gnaw at you?
Have you ever felt starved for touch? How did you remedy it? Have you ever been asked by someone on a dating app to go someplace terribly romantic like Carcasonne for a getaway?
Glynnis talks of midlife financial security and having a number ($2 million) that would make her feel safeâgiven her life in New York City as a freelancer and her need to pay health insurance. Do you have a safe number? Did âhaving it allâ or âhaving it your wayâ ever feel too difficult or make you want to retreat to a more traditional narrative? I.e., the ladies who lunch?
How have you invested in friendships over the years? Have you ever disappeared down a relationship rabbit hole? Have you ever felt lonely without a strong personal narrative? Have you ever met someone who is your âjoy twinâ? Iâm thinking of Glynnis and her friend flying on bikes through the streets of Paris in Chapter Sevenâboth singing The Monkeesâ song, Iâm a Believer at different times.
All good stuff to ponder! Feel free to chime in below.
And with that, stay tuned for more weekly commentary on this book and upcoming author chats. We also need to vote on a new book. Thoughts welcome.
Yours in Grandeur & Deep Sh*t,
PS - I am a human typo. Amnesty appreciated!
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I have a number and it's bigger than that. I'm fascinated by other people's numbers, and I wish we talked about it more (but I won't go first!)