Follow the journey of Carole, an 83-year-old American expat who moved to France in 2021. She was looking for a new beginning, a new environment after losing her husband. Carole today lives on the fringes of Montpellier in the south of France. Now her son and his family live just a few doors down, and she herself occupies a modest studio apartment. This relocation became a catalyst for a vibrant new chapter of her life. It undoubtedly improved her health tremendously as well, causing her to thank the French healthcare system for her energy return.
When her husband died in April 2021, Carole experienced deep feelings of isolation and bereavement. In the aftermath of this tragedy, she sold her longtime home and gave up most of her belongings. The move wasn’t simply geographical — it meant her having to grapple with rejection issues rooted in her past, from the children of divorce that she’d grown up with. That choice to move provided the impetus for change.
Experiencing life in France has given Carole an extraordinary opportunity for personal development and artistic exploration. She has published four novels and recently returned to work preparing her fifth for publication. She characterizes this latest labor as the fourth and final chapter in her fictional autobiography narrative. Carole considers her writing as a way to write about her own life story.
“I thought I was done, and then a second book came,” Carole reflects on her unexpected literary journey.
Her books explore the nuances of resilience and femininity, tackling topics she feels are extremely relatable to all women. “I didn’t think I was the only woman who’d gone through some of these things,” she states. “Although I might be one of the few willing to talk about it publicly.”
In Carole’s native Montpellier, she has made radical changes to her everyday life. She spends her mornings writing, after which she takes long, creative hikes with her best friends. Her social wellbeing is key to her personal wellbeing. Her vibrant social life is like water to her garden. It’s created an incredible support web that just breeds connection and happiness.
The effects of living in France are not just limited to this increase in social life and creativity. Carole says she can’t believe the difference in her health since moving. “I would be dead by now had I not moved to France,” she asserts candidly. Her passion and dedication to fully embracing this new stage in life speaks to a deep change in mindset.
Carole’s journey is not without its challenges. Facing the realities of aging, she acknowledges, “I’m at the stage of my life where I’m facing death.” This knowledge only deepens Erin’s desire to understand how others are navigating the same experiences. “I’m really curious about how other people have, what they’ve done, and how they’re dealing with it.”
Her decision to relocate has, however — by freeing Carole from expectations — unlocked the space for her to reimagine her identity as an adult. She approaches this new opportunity with understandable trepidation but exhilaration. “So this was the first time in my life where I was actually free to see who I was, and it’s terrifying and exhilarating,” she explains.
Carole’s story is an inspiring testament that change is possible at any age, and we are never too old to learn and grow. “What I’ve learned from this is that it’s never too late to become who you were intended to be,” she emphasizes.
Carole, on the other hand, is making plans to renew her initial one-year residency visa. She continues to stay committed to her path of self-discovery and creative life. Her life in the south of France has turned into an exemplar of that change and renewal — the embodiment of a better way of doing things.
