Renovate. Renew. In French class I explained the difference between neuf “new” (as in brand-new straight off the assembly line) and nouveau “new” (as in new to you but not necessarily brand new) when a student (one of my foreign ones) wanted to know the difference between rénover “renovate” and renouveler “renew” because they both generically mean “to make new again” in a sense. “Rénover” is more for fixing something up in giving it a new form or look or to return to a like-new state whereas “renouveler” seems to be more along the lines of replacing the old with something new or to make something new via transformation. I dunno; the definitions are far longer and the nuances are subtle in cases.

It was while thinking about “renew” and “renovate” that I realized both apply to my life right now. My inspiration, ambition, and enthusiasm all need a once over, and I could seriously use a change of scenery. A lot of aspects of my life need a good long look and then some renovating and renewing. Some things need a touch-up, some things need replaced, and some things just need reaffirmed. I need a renaissance of my own. I don’t know that it’s worth much, but even just putting a little perspective like this on my life has made my day a little better. I mean, the dysmenorrhea is still annoying, but other than that, today’s looking a bit more up. Now if only the clouds would go away; the SAD is flaring up again.