Rainbows and Unicorns in Paris

Loving Paris is so unoriginal.

I unabashedly love Paris anyway!

When anyone asks why I love it so much, I usually describe the light and beauty everywhere you look, café life, art, books, philosophy, long conversations about things that matter, exquisite shops that sell only cheese. Paris possesses a magical quality that I cannot easily explain. A rainbow over the Seine. The Arc de Triomphe wrapped in shimmery, silver fabric. A serendipitous encounter with one of my very favorite artists Sophie Calle on my birthday in October. After the encounter, I strolled over to one of the most beautiful public squares in the world, the Place des Vosges, to celebrate with a few friends who gifted me with songs, poetry, and wine. The beauty of Paris is not only observed, but felt.

I have learned who I am and who I want to be in Paris.

Paris has given me the space to pause and ponder who I am in the world.

To know who you are in the world is necessary to flourish.

It is a great privilege to take such pauses, much less take them in Paris.

How can we create these moments of pause in beauty so that we can flourish wherever we are?