Write one true sentence. – Ernest Hemingway
My wife is the best human that I know. At my worst she challenged me to be better; at my lowest she stopped her world to pick me up; at my best she celebrates the loudest.
The morning after the French election and my relief at the far right not taking control of the government is abating and being replaced with the reality that the far left and center have to find a way to govern together. If they don’t, this win will be a moot point come 2027.
It’s not surprising to me that so many people would vote against their own interests to vote for someone like Trump; it’s just disappointing that I have to be related to so many of them.
Yesterday, on this very balcony where I am writing this, my wife let out an ‘awwww’ and I looked up at her, followed her eyes, and there it was. A toddler running – stumbling really – from his momma and into the arms of his father. It was adorable. I could sit here and write about tiny little scenes like that for the rest of my life. Paris, j’adore.
The women of Paris are different. A lot of them are beautiful, sure, but it is much more than that. They own their space in a way that I don’t recognize in a lot of the world. They seem to exist with minimal effort. There is a grace and nonchalance that would fool you into thinking they didn’t work hard to get this good. I love it.
Men in suits on bicycles always make me smile.
You should come to Paris. Especially if you’re young. Come and stay awhile. Do the touristy stuff, the museums, the ride on the Seine, Notre Dame. But then, you should leave your Paris Guide in your hotel and just allow yourself to get lost in this city. Go away from the Seine and into the places with the words you don’t understand. Find a jarden and sit with your thoughts and watch people just living their lives. Don’t google map a place, ask a stranger for directions and fumble through the conversation with your broken French and their broken English. You’ll be glad you did. A few days of this and, I promise, this City will begin to bore herself into your heart.
Be intrepid.
I don’t want to write today. I want to take my wife into our room and make love all day. But then the dog will remind me that he needs to go out so I will have to get dressed again and go back out into this magical city.
