"The sweetness and generosity and politeness and gentleness and humanity of the French has shown me how lovely life can be if one takes time to be friendly." - Julia Child
My Paris fantasy is coming to an end. I fly back tomorrow. This has been an amazing experience. I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend this month in Paris. I know how fortunate I am and how special this experience has been. For all of the debates I went through in my head (too pricey, too much time away from David and Davey, etc.) I'm really glad I spent this time on my own in Paris.
Every day has had lots of new stuff to figure out. Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it can be frustrating. This was expected. To paraphrase the lyrics from a song by my beloved Edith Piaf, "I have no regrets. For the things That went wrong, at last I have learned to be strong."
The French
For their crusty exteriors, I find the French utterly charming. Once they warm up to you, it's like you're part of a secret club. By the end of week two, I felt like they'd shown me the secret handshake. As I'd walk down Avenue de La Bourdonnais and Rue Saint-Dominique heading toward Rue Cler, the souvenir shop guys and the crepe guy at the patisserie began to regularly call out, "Bonjour Madame." With all the tourists, I had been taking the quieter side of the streets. This daily exchange was so much fun that I began taking the busier shop-lined side.
By the time I was wrapping up my month in Paris, I exchanged Bon Jours and Bon Soirs with neighbors and the local shopkeeps on a regular basis. Even the experience of stopping to get a sandwich at the boulangerie on the corner (a great option following a long day of exploring) changed. After a week or so, they didn't sell me one of the pre-made sandwiches. They would make one fresh in the back. My favorite florist on Rue Cler would take the bunch of roses I'd selected, say "One moment," then duck in the back and appear with a bunch of larger, fresher looking roses. He'd smile and whisper "better."
Although my Paris fantasy comes to an end, I am so very fortunate to return to Half Moon Bay, my dear husband and sweet son, our good friends and our life by the sea. I'm also grateful to have discovered work that I love and a great company to work for (with a wonderful sabbatical program). I think I'll pinch myself.
Bonne Nuit
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