When I was in Paris…. Pretty much anything you say after those five words sounds dreamy and cosmopolitan. Croissanty and delicious, images of silk scarves, olive green lawn chairs, majestic architecture and outdoor cross-weave café chairs lined up like little soldiers, or bouquinistres lining the Seine. It doesn’t matter if it’s:
“I broke my leg.”
“I was mugged.”
“My hotel reservation was lost and I spent two nights in a broom closet.”
“I ate a bad croque monsieur and had the worst diarrhea of my life.”
It is all good. Your story is already magical because you said When I Was in Paris. It is impossible to feel sorry for any hardship and it’s also impossible for even a mediocre story to sound bad. You sprinkled the fairy dust. Because it happened When You Were in Paris. Chocolate is richer. Tea is spicier. Coffee is stronger. Cream is thicker. Croissants are buttery-er. Weather is moodier. People, clothing, buildings, vehicles and art are sexier and more stylish. The city is je ne sais pas quoi because precisely that, roughly translated, I DON’T KNOW WHY! It just is.
These are a few things I did when I was in Paris.
When I was in Paris, I bought a journal and a good pen. Several pens.
When I was in Paris, I drank coffee in cafes and people watched.
When I was in Paris, I went to many museums and galleries.
When I was in Paris, I walked everywhere.
When I was in Paris, I ate delicious meals. Even the simple things tasted better.
When I was in Paris, I bought a navy blue sweater.
When I was in Paris, I walked the farmers market.
When I was in Paris, I slowed down. I savored. I noticed details.
When I was in Paris, I painted.
When I was in Paris, I wrote.
Simple, lovely. Not all that different from what I do here minus the museum and gallery portion. I can feel this way today. As an artist, I am susceptible to the grass is greener feelings, I could create if I was painting en plein air at Le Palais de Luxembourg. Sitting on a lawn chair. Eating a baguette. Ok, that’s possible. I could. But I could also be painting right here, in my studio, drawing upon my dreams, photos, memories and passion for that city or that feeling that the city gives me. I could be writing in a café. Hemingway style. Drinking in the locals, nodding to the familiar waiter. But today I’m not. But I can still do the writing, the painting, the order packing and the business dreaming.
Because When I was in Paris, I dreamed of doing what I am doing today. xo