I met Elise at a group luncheon the day after I arrived . We met for coffee afterwards during which she went through all the nuts and bolts of my daily life here. We continued talking for a while and got to know each other a bit. We talked about New York, life in France and other lovely topics of conversation that occur amongst newly introduced friends. It’s been over two weeks and I have seen her interact with patients, give seminars and tend to the needs of so many. 
There is a warm familiarity about her which perhaps explains why she is so effective at dealing with patients and their families. You feel like you’re in the company of someone who you know and trust. All of us here are so open and raw… and I’m not talking about our skin. Our souls are raw, our hopes and fears are exposed. I can’t begin to explain just how vulnerable we all feel. She gets it, she genuinely empathizes and it truly helps me (us) feel safe.
I have had a handful of conversations with Elise by now and have grown quite fond of her. Her strength is of a different color. She is calm, subtle, gentle and yet every gesture she makes… every word she speaks… is filled with such intent. It’s a strength that’s grounded. It embraces everything with such a delicate force.
When we first spoke, I told her that I was going to take advantage of my free time here and work. I wanted to come up with a new business plan, update my website, and about 100 other things that I thought would improve my life. I was getting “New York excited” about all the things I was going to accomplish while here!
She looked at me, and very simply asked me to consider doing “nothing”. She asked me to think about taking everything off of my plate and just go through the motions. By saying this to me, she has given me permission to let go and not have to “know”, not have to “define”, not have to “understand” anything. The only expectation I have is to eat, sleep go to treatment and… breathe.
I’m diving into my senses now. My eyes are becoming wonderfully overwhelmed and bombarded with lush, colorful textures… which are leading me to taste the spicy sweetness and lively bitterness of the nurturing fruits of the world around me… intoxicating me and making me stumble into the winds that are howling melodiously in my ears. I know, I sound like I must be “on” something. I’m not, I’ve just spent so many years GRIPPING SO TIGHT to everything I think I’m supposed to be, to everything I’m supposed to do… so much so that the connection between my senses and my surroundings have been numbed. And I suppose that this is what happens when feeling comes back and all of these sensations come flooding in.
Thank You Elise… for opening my eyes to everything that this experience can be.
Shirin In Avène 