Toute ma vie de femme d\u2019affaires, je n\u2019avais pas d\u2019amis. Certes, j\u2019\u00e9tais entour\u00e9e de coll\u00e8gues attentionn\u00e9s, d\u2019employ\u00e9s extraordinaires et de franchis\u00e9s tri\u00e9s sur le volet, mais pas de v\u00e9ritables amis avec lesquels discuter d\u2019autres sujets que les affaires. \u00c0 cette \u00e9poque, j\u2019\u00e9tais tellement occup\u00e9e, pr\u00e9occup\u00e9e et accapar\u00e9e par mille et une choses que je n\u2019avais vraiment pas le temps de socialiser avec des amis. Les magnifiques hommes d\u2019affaires qui voulaient me rencontrer \u00e9taient la plupart sur le qui-vive. Ils voulaient tous faire affaire avec notre entreprise et me savaient s\u00e9lective et intransigeante. Je ne barguignais jamais. Ni marchandage ni tergiversation. S\u2019ils voulaient me vendre quelque chose, je lan\u00e7ais mon prix et ils devaient acquiescer ou retourner chez eux.<\/p>\n
Dans ce temps-l\u00e0, j\u2019ai souvent pens\u00e9 qu\u2019un homme habitait ma t\u00eate. J\u2019\u00e9tais pourtant une intellectuelle, une artiste des mots sans aucune formation en affaires. J\u2019apprenais mon m\u00e9tier de franchiseur en d\u00e9vorant des biographies d\u2019hommes ayant d\u00e9velopp\u00e9 de grands r\u00e9seaux de franchises. Heureusement, j\u2019avais toujours quelques pas d\u2019avance pour me rassurer. D\u2019ores et d\u00e9j\u00e0, je savais que le risque d\u2019\u00e9chouer \u00e9tait beaucoup plus grand que celui de gagner. La beaut\u00e9 de la chose c\u2019est que je n\u2019ai jamais eu peur! Comme avoir peur d\u2019un ours malin, peur de manquer d\u2019argent, ou peur de n\u2019avoir aucune capacit\u00e9 d\u2019invention.<\/p>\n
Lorsque j\u2019ai ouvert mon premier bouiboui, la restauration matinale de l\u2019\u00e9poque (1987) souffrait d\u2019un manque flagrant de bons d\u00e9jeuners. C\u2019est donc ma caboche qui a d\u00fb mettre son tablier pour cr\u00e9er des d\u00e9jeuners inusit\u00e9s, magnifiques et capables d\u2019\u00e9blouir des milliers de clients. Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six. Le septi\u00e8me restaurant Cora devint un \u00e9tablissement franchis\u00e9! Ce restaurant exceptionnel du West Island<\/em> est encore debout et bien vivant au 187, boul. Hymus, \u00e0 Pointe-Claire.<\/p>\n Il a bien fallu se rendre \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9vidence, j\u2019\u00e9tais dou\u00e9e en cr\u00e9ativit\u00e9 et en affaires. J\u2019avais cr\u00e9\u00e9 un magnifique concept de restauration matinale et il me restait maintenant \u00e0 parcourir mon propre chemin de Compostelle, semant des franchises un peu partout \u00e0 travers notre grand pays. Tout ce temps, j\u2019\u00e9tais audacieuse et prudente, \u00e9conome, et grippe-sou. Je ne cessais de grossir notre \u00e9quipe d\u2019experts et je m\u2019empressais toujours d\u2019ouvrir le prochain restaurant. J\u2019ai pris des risques calcul\u00e9s sans jamais mettre en danger le c\u0153ur de nos op\u00e9rations.<\/p>\n Je me souviendrai toujours de la fin de l\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9 lorsque nous allions cueillir des noisettes avec grand-p\u00e8re Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric. Chaque ann\u00e9e, avec la m\u00eame poche de jute, grand-p\u00e8re nous apprenait \u00e0 d\u00e9tacher les noisettes de l\u2019arbre et \u00e0 les mettre dans la poche qu\u2019ult\u00e9rieurement il pendait dans la grange pour faire s\u00e9cher les pr\u00e9cieuses noisettes. Puis, apr\u00e8s quelques mois de s\u00e9chage, il frappait la poche sur un mur de pierre plusieurs fois pour sortir les noisettes de leurs \u00e9cailles. Grand-m\u00e8re gardait pr\u00e9cieusement ces petits tr\u00e9sors et nous en donnait parcimonieusement quelques-unes le dimanche pour qu\u2019il en reste jusqu\u2019\u00e0 No\u00ebl. Comme la grand-m\u00e8re qui me donnait au compte-gouttes quelques noisettes, trente ans plus tard, je r\u00e9compensais mes enfants qui m\u2019aidaient au restaurant avec quelques maigres dollars comme argent de poche.<\/p>\n Dans cette seule petite vie bien charg\u00e9e, comment aurais-je pu faire pour aller vers les autres et m\u2019en faire de v\u00e9ritables amis? Je tournaillais sans cesse comme une girouette en cherchant toujours le meilleur emplacement pour installer le prochain gros Soleil jaune. Il a fallu que je donne mon r\u00f4le et mon titre \u00e0 mon plus jeune enfant pour m\u2019habituer \u00e0 ralentir. C\u2019est bien s\u00fbr l\u2019affreuse pand\u00e9mie qui a r\u00e9ussi \u00e0 m\u2019immobiliser. J\u2019ai chang\u00e9 mon mode de vie. Puis, lorsqu\u2019on nous a permis de sortir de nos chaumi\u00e8res, j\u2019ai commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 \u00e9crire dans le caf\u00e9 du village o\u00f9 je me suis fait des amis.<\/p>\n Oui, oui! Tout doucement comme l\u2019oisillon qui apprend \u00e0 voler, je murmurais des bonjours \u00e0 mes voisins de table et ils me rendaient la pareille. Je souriais et je jubilais. Quelques semaines aidant, nous rapprochions nos tables pour apprendre \u00e0 nous conna\u00eetre. Telle l\u2019abeille qui tout doucement se nourrit du nectar des fleurs, moi j\u2019apprenais l\u2019amiti\u00e9; ce sentiment r\u00e9ciproque et aussi pr\u00e9cieux que du v\u00e9ritable miel. Je ne peux pas dire que ce fut difficile de me faire des amis. La fonceuse que j\u2019\u00e9tais s\u2019en \u00e9tait priv\u00e9e parce que j\u2019avais \u00e0 cette \u00e9poque un urgent besoin de gagner ma vie et surtout d\u2019assurer la survie de mes trois enfants. Disons donc que l\u2019amiti\u00e9 m\u2019est servie aujourd\u2019hui comme un superbe dessert, comme un cadeau, comme une r\u00e9compense. Je ne vais pas fuir les d\u00e9fis qui m\u2019occupent encore l\u2019esprit et qui m\u2019emp\u00eachent de vieillir.<\/p>\n J\u2019aime \u00e9norm\u00e9ment mes amis et les frasques qu\u2019ils me racontent, comme leur envie de mourir debout. Ensemble nous apprenons que vivre c\u2019est \u00eatre sans cesse confront\u00e9 \u00e0 ce qui nous d\u00e9passe. Nous en parlions l\u2019autre matin en constatant combien c\u2019est facile de devenir vieux dans nos t\u00eates et de se laisser aller \u00e0 la fatigue et \u00e0 la lassitude. \u00ab\u00a0Moins nous en faisons, moins nous voulons en faire\u00a0\u00bb, disait Georges, le plus vieux d\u2019entre nous (82\u00a0ans). J\u2019ai vitement r\u00e9pondu que ma caboche et mon \u00eatre profond ne seront jamais \u00e0 la retraite. Je d\u00e9teste le mot retrait\u00e9, car il ressemble \u00e0 un fragile bibelot \u00e0 t\u00eate branlante avec une canne \u00e0 pommeau.<\/p>\n En vieillissant, nous ne pouvons le nier, une part de nous demeure jeune comme l\u2019est toute cr\u00e9ation en train d\u2019advenir. Que le Dieu d\u2019en haut b\u00e9nisse cette continuelle jeunesse qui nous emp\u00eache de faiblir. Je m\u2019interroge. J\u2019ai peut-\u00eatre jadis manqu\u00e9 d\u2019amour, mais je suis aujourd\u2019hui entour\u00e9e de valeureux amis chevaliers servants.<\/p>\n Tr\u00e8s t\u00f4t, dimanche dernier, un vieil homme entre dans le caf\u00e9 et s\u2019approche de ma table. Je ne l\u2019avais jamais vu. Ses deux mains appuy\u00e9es sur la chaise en face de moi, il se penche et me dit \u00ab\u00a0Ch\u00e8re dame, votre modestie est un signe de grandeur\u00a0\u00bb. Puis il me salue, se tourne, se rend au comptoir \u00e0 caf\u00e9, commande un latt\u00e9 pour emporter et quitte les lieux. Ni vu ni connu. Je suis la seule cliente dans le caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n Cette ann\u00e9e, c\u2019est entour\u00e9e de mes amis que je c\u00e9l\u00e8bre mes 77 ans bien sonn\u00e9s. Je m\u2019estime bien chanceuse d\u2019avoir un cercle si bien tiss\u00e9, des gens qui veillent sur moi, qui prennent de mes nouvelles et avec qui je passe du bon temps.<\/p>\n Cora Toute ma vie de femme d\u2019affaires, je n\u2019avais pas d\u2019amis. Certes, j\u2019\u00e9tais […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":414,"featured_media":43836,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lettre-mme-cora"],"acf":{"img_en":"","contenu_en":"I didn\u2019t have friends during my years as a businesswoman. I was surrounded by caring colleagues, extraordinary employees and cherry-picked franchisees, of course, but I didn\u2019t have true friends with whom to discuss topics other than business. I was so busy, preoccupied and absorbed by a thousand and one things that I didn\u2019t have any spare time to socialize with friends. Most of the ambitious businessmen who sought me out were on high alert. They all wanted to do business with our brand, and my reputation for being demanding and uncompromising preceded me. I never bargained. Never haggled, never dithered. If they wanted to sell me something, I would name my price and they either agreed or went home empty-handed.\r\n\r\nAt that time, I often thought a man was living inside my head. I\u2019d been a book worm all my life, an artist who crafted words, with no business knowledge or training. I was learning how to be a franchisor by ingesting biographies of men who\u2019d developed great franchise networks. I was always one reassuring step ahead of the game. Thank goodness! I knew that the risk of failing was clearly much greater than the chances of winning. The beautiful thing about it was that I was never afraid of failure! I was fearful of running into a mean ol\u2019 bear money or original ideas.\r\n\r\nWhen I opened my first small restaurant, the breakfast food industry in those days (1987) suffered from a glaring lack of decent breakfasts. And so I put on a chef\u2019s hat and apron to create amazing, one-of-a-kind dishes that dazzled thousands of customers. After 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6\u2026 the 7th<\/sup> Cora restaurant became a franchised location! This exceptional restaurant in Montreal\u2019s West Island, located at 187 Hymus Blvd., Pointe-Claire, is still going strong today.\r\n\r\nWe had to face the facts: I was gifted with creativity and business. I\u2019d created an unbeatable breakfast restaurant concept and I now had to travel my own Camino de Santiago, sowing franchises all over this vast country. During those years, I was audacious and careful, a spendthrift and a penny-pincher. I was constantly expanding our team of experts and always in a rush to open the next restaurant. I took calculated risks without ever putting the heart of our operations in danger.\r\n\r\nI\u2019ll never forget the times during my childhood when we used to pick hazelnuts with Grandpa Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric at the end of summer. Every year, using the same jute bag, Grandpa would show us how to remove the nuts from the tree and place them in the bag, which he\u2019d later hang in the barn to allow the precious contents to dry. After a few months, he\u2019d smash the bag against a stone wall to crack open the shells. Grandma then carefully stored the tiny treasures, dispensing them sparingly on Sundays so that there\u2019d be enough left for Christmas. Just like my grandmother who gave me a few meagre hazelnuts, 30\u00a0years later, I rewarded my children, who helped in the restaurant, with a few measly dollars of spending money.\r\n\r\nHow could I\u2019ve possibly managed to open myself up to others and find real friends during this solitary but very full life? I was constantly spinning like a weathervane, looking for the best location to set up the next big yellow Sun. Only when I transferred my role and title to my youngest son did I finally start to slow down. In the end, the horrible pandemic succeeded in immobilizing me. I changed my lifestyle. When eventually we were given the all-clear to leave the safety of our homes, I started writing at the town\u2019s coffee shop. And there, at last, I found friends.\r\n\r\nLike a baby bird learning to fly, I\u2019d whisper a few hellos to the people near my table, and they in turn would answer. I smiled, I was happy. After a few weeks, we moved our tables closer together in order to get to know each other better. Like a bee slowly feeding on the nectar of flowers, I learned about friendship, this mutual feeling as precious as honey. It hasn\u2019t been hard for me to make friends. The go-getter in the past had to deprive herself of friendship because of the urgent need to make a living to ensure her young family\u2019s survival. Today, friendship is like a decadent dessert served to me on a silver platter. A gift, a reward. I won\u2019t run away from the challenges that still occupy my mind and keep me from growing old.\r\n\r\nI love my friends tremendously and their antics and eccentricities, like a desire to die standing up! Together, we\u2019re learning that living means being constantly confronted with what is beyond us. We were discussing it the other day and realized how easy it is to age mentally and give into fatigue and weariness. \u201cThe less we do, the less we want to do,\u201d said George, the oldest in our group (82). I was quick to reply that my mind and my inner being have never taken to retirement. I detest the word \u201cretiree\u201d because it seems like a fragile wobbly-headed trinket with a knobbed walking cane.\r\n\r\nThere\u2019s no denying it, as we get older a part of us remains young, like any creation that\u2019s never really finished. May the heavens bless this eternal youth that prevents us from growing weak. I wonder. I may have once lacked love, but now I\u2019m surrounded by intrepid, valiant souls.\r\n\r\nVery early last Sunday, an elderly man walked into the coffee shop and came over to my table. I\u2019d never seen him before. With his two hands resting on the chair in front of me, he bent down and told me, \u201cDear Cora, your modesty is a sign of greatness.\u201d He then took his leave and went to the counter where he ordered a latte to go and left. I was the only customer in the caf\u00e9 at that moment. I\u2019ve never seen him since.\r\n\r\nThis year, I\u2019m celebrating my 77th<\/sup> birthday surrounded by friends. I feel very lucky to have such a tight-knit circle of companions \u2013 people who watch out for me, check up on me and whose company I enjoy.\r\n\r\nCora\r\n\u2764\ufe0f"},"yoast_head":"\n
\n\u2764\ufe0f<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"