Honestly, I’ve had a tough time thinking of what to write about Paris.  It’s not that there isn’t overwhelming inspiration around, or that I haven’t enjoyed lots of memorable moments, but I’ve actually been living here.  I have a physical address.  Paris is somehow sexier when you’re Stateside, and seems pretty normal when you’ve set up shop.  That said, I do have a few first impressions on the place that I call home while away from home.

Remember when I was spending my initial time in France along the Cote d’Azur, enjoying the picturesque ease of life near the sea?  The scenery, perfectly placid and blissful, kinda’ hard to leave – I mean, you’ve seen the pictures.

But the instant I lugged my heavy suitcases down the steps of the Paris subway system… I knew it was right.

I stopped, found a corner of a frenzied corridor, rested my shoulders from my bags, took it all in.  I listened to a small orchestra play classical alongside the noisy mess of the Metro, saw tourists and locals alike stop mid-step on the stairs to hear a little of that underground heaven.  I watched people rush to and from this and that, and felt the life of the city.  The City.  Not necessarily Paris, not exactly New York, not Sydney or Delhi or Bangkok or any other major metropolitan area I’ve visited recently.  Just “the City,” a more abstract construct, a description that, to me, means music and faces and firecracking energy.  God, it felt good.

After this homecoming of sorts, I got settled, taking to Paris pretty easily (NYC is a good template for all things urban): the Metro, les arrondissements (i.e. neighborhoods), the usually-overwhelming plethora of things to see and do while residing in le Quartier latin (my personal list is forthcoming).

I live next to the Seine River, just across from the magnificent Notre Dame cathedral.  My days include walks along the Seine day or night, yoga classes at Rasa Studio nearby, beautiful pastry, bountiful produce, picnics and park visits.  Live music plays everywhere; a literal, real-time soundtrack.

It’s not all fun and games, though.  In preparation for my upcoming return to les Etas-Unis, I’ve been completing due diligence on my current non-legal professional paths.  I still like aspects of lawyering, but I now wear other hats, like yoga teaching, nonprofit consulting, writing, and working with kids and expectant mothers.

While these things make my heart jump, they don’t necessarily have the stability of my old law firm paycheck. Figuring out how to continue making it work elicits simultaneous feelings of both freedom and fear.  It encourages me to revisit earlier posts, where I said I believed happiness and keeping the lights on don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

I still do.

So I’m working on it, here in my tiny Parisian corner of the planet.  A lot of reflection and productivity can result from living in a place of stillness and beauty, and that is the environment I’ve created, right in the middle of one of the most hectic parts of this astounding city.  And maybe, regardless of my coordinates, it is where I feel most at home:  nestled away in a self-established calm amidst chaos.

Notre Dame

My Usual Market Goods

Bridge Picnic with Friends

Seine at Night