In a few days, we will be setting sail (or rather lifting off) on our next adventure. We are less than a week away from departure and I have been reading a great blog about strange and cool stuff to do in Paris, titled: (what else) "Cool Stuff in Paris"!
According to the writer, among the cool things to do in Paris is a visit to the catacombs, which I know I will definitely skip and not save for a rainy day. Between tight, claustrophobic places and the thought that they must have rats in catacombs, I will pass them by with no regrets!
The older I get, the more I try to remember that some things in life can and should be passed by with no regrets. The "thing" you always wanted to do, the "thing" you always wanted to see, the "thing" you just had to have. Sometimes it's "things" and sometimes it's relationships. As time goes by, I am less inclined to do, see, or hang on to something that frightens, annoys, worries or makes me feel bad or sad. A wise person once said to me, "sometimes we outgrow our dreams".
Conversely, the older I get, the more excited I become to do the things I want to do in the moment. So, I feel so very excited and blessed that we will actually end our trip in my favorite place in the world: Paris. And, yes, though it may be corny - we will have April in Paris!
From previous trips to this beautiful city, I have extraordinary memories of people, food, sights and smells. These memories are always available to me. I can close my eyes and conjure them up. Favorite moments: sipping cafe au lait at a sidewalk cafe and letting the motions of the people going by wash over me. Memories of walking up the steps to Sacre-Coeur and then rounding the corner to Montmarte and hoping the street musician will be there grinding her organ and singing Edith Piaf songs. Memories of a lemon & sugar crepe, a walk through Pigalle, and all the famous sights of the city.
But above all else, I remember the colors of the sky and the softness of the Parisian light. The sun is gentle in Paris.
When I was a child, we learned the song, June is Bustin Out All Over and a part of the lyrics I always loved were:
"March went out like a lion
A whippin' up the water in the bay
Then April cried and stepped aside
And along came pretty little May"
April is that beautiful, often rainy, month between the last harshness of a cold winter and the lovely promise of summer. April is a respite - a stopping off point.
For us, Paris is that beautiful respite between the tiring first and last parts of the trip. It is that stopping off point sandwiched between 10-12 hour plane rides, no sleep, finding our way in a new city, then 10-12 hour plane rides to find our way home.
So I pray the Paris sun will shine softly while we are there. But if the sun doesn't shine, the rain will simply remind me that April cries. . .and steps aside. . .and along comes more beauty and grace than we could imagine. Let go of "things" and Carpe Diem!
And, besides, the "Cool Stuff in Paris" can still be seen in the rain!
According to the writer, among the cool things to do in Paris is a visit to the catacombs, which I know I will definitely skip and not save for a rainy day. Between tight, claustrophobic places and the thought that they must have rats in catacombs, I will pass them by with no regrets!
The older I get, the more I try to remember that some things in life can and should be passed by with no regrets. The "thing" you always wanted to do, the "thing" you always wanted to see, the "thing" you just had to have. Sometimes it's "things" and sometimes it's relationships. As time goes by, I am less inclined to do, see, or hang on to something that frightens, annoys, worries or makes me feel bad or sad. A wise person once said to me, "sometimes we outgrow our dreams".
Conversely, the older I get, the more excited I become to do the things I want to do in the moment. So, I feel so very excited and blessed that we will actually end our trip in my favorite place in the world: Paris. And, yes, though it may be corny - we will have April in Paris!
From previous trips to this beautiful city, I have extraordinary memories of people, food, sights and smells. These memories are always available to me. I can close my eyes and conjure them up. Favorite moments: sipping cafe au lait at a sidewalk cafe and letting the motions of the people going by wash over me. Memories of walking up the steps to Sacre-Coeur and then rounding the corner to Montmarte and hoping the street musician will be there grinding her organ and singing Edith Piaf songs. Memories of a lemon & sugar crepe, a walk through Pigalle, and all the famous sights of the city.
But above all else, I remember the colors of the sky and the softness of the Parisian light. The sun is gentle in Paris.
When I was a child, we learned the song, June is Bustin Out All Over and a part of the lyrics I always loved were:
"March went out like a lion
A whippin' up the water in the bay
Then April cried and stepped aside
And along came pretty little May"
April is that beautiful, often rainy, month between the last harshness of a cold winter and the lovely promise of summer. April is a respite - a stopping off point.
For us, Paris is that beautiful respite between the tiring first and last parts of the trip. It is that stopping off point sandwiched between 10-12 hour plane rides, no sleep, finding our way in a new city, then 10-12 hour plane rides to find our way home.
So I pray the Paris sun will shine softly while we are there. But if the sun doesn't shine, the rain will simply remind me that April cries. . .and steps aside. . .and along comes more beauty and grace than we could imagine. Let go of "things" and Carpe Diem!
And, besides, the "Cool Stuff in Paris" can still be seen in the rain!
Gustave Caillebotte - Paris Street: Rainy Day
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