Pushing Sixty, one day at a time!

What kind of doublespeak is this? Less is more?!! What on earth could that be about? A hint: ecology. Ecologists tell us that we have too much waste. Reducing it is the first step toward a healthier planet, and therefore, healthier people. Freddy Schmid and Julie Garrigues, co-founders of “Less is More,” are not only trying to sell us beauty products, but to join a movement of conscientious consumers. Have you looked at the list on your shampoos and gels? What is often the first ingredient? Water, of course. Would you be surprised to learn that, on average, 5% of beauty products’ value is the active product, and the rest is water and packaging? Suppose you could buy a product where they cut out that waste and concentrated on value? With less waste, you have more of the active product. More value. Substance over appearance. I interviewed Freddy Schmid, the co-founder of Less is More, on a late April after morning in Paris. An unusually warm week, the timing was right to talk a...

  Eighteen months have passed since my last dip in the pool. The timing is right- legs are shaved. I’m ansy. Issam, my husband, thinks it’s not a good day to swim- but he’s not a reference. Any day with a “y” in it is no good. I gather my things, drape my duffle bag over my shoulder and shuffle down avenue Marechal Juin. The wind picks up and I regret leaving my jacket at home. “I am warm,” I say to myself. Mind over matter. I second guess my decision to bring my heavy beach towel. Trudging towards the pool’s entrance, I notice wet-haired teens exiting the building. Inside, I ask if the hair dryers are broken. They aren’t, so I pay and go in. Five euros for a resident. Expensive. Before Covid it was 3€50. In the changing room, I don a swimsuit. I have no illusions about doing many laps, and the suit reflects that. It has a padded décolleté that creates drag. I have forgotten about one of life’s golden rules: timing is everything. In the largest, deeper lap pool, children ju...