It is Today

During my morning exploration of the Latin Quarter, I found something written in small letters on a wall and this is what it said (translated from French) :

The Secrets to a Parisian Life

1. Read a poem
2. Listen to a piece of music
3. Gaze at a piece of art
4. Eat good food
5. Create something
6. Express gratitude for something
7. Have a DIRECT experience with life
8. Drink tea
9. Touch the earth
10. Stop getting to work on time
11. Love with an open heart
12. Walk at the Jardin Luxembourg

I decided to take the rest of the day off, and do just that. This was my list.

1. Read a Poem: In my sketchbook I have two poems from a friend back in California. If he's reading this, you'll be happy to know I went to the place where I was among giants, I read the poems, and I drew a sketch of my shadow...

2. Listen to a piece of music: Easy. I took a walk through the Latin Quarter, where its not hard to find a street band dancing through the tight compressed city streets. I saluted them, and they gave me a smile back.

3. Gaze at a piece of art: Art isn't only at the museums. I went inside a patisserie and watched the pastry chef work his magic through the glass windows. I can't imagine how hard they work. They wake up at 3 am everyday to create art that you can eat.

4. Eat good food: After gazing at the "art" I went to the cassier and bought one pain au choco amondes, which are pastries with almond paste, and small lines of chocolate. On top, it is covered in powdered sugar and slivers of toasted almonds. Trust me it was good. It's always good. The food here makes me want to start a second blog just about french butter.

5. Create something: I continued walking in and out of city streets, paying no attention to where I was or how I got there. Being lost in Paris is definitely my favorite pastime. I found a small park with a fountain in it, so I made a small paper boat from my french newspaper that day, and set it free on its course.

6. Express gratitude for something: Mr. and Mrs. Jerde... This one is for you. When I see you next, remind me to give you the piece of paper I wrote on called "Number 6."

7. Have a DIRECT experience with life: See all of the above.

8. Drink Tea: Just a block west of Jardin Luxembourg is a small shop I like to eat in called Bread and Roses. Can you guess what they sell? I stopped for some Moroccan mint tea--two sugars. The clerk I knew spoke arabic, so I said thank you in that language. "Shukran madame, Shukran."

9. Touch the earth: I know what you're thinking, and no I didn't do that. Instead I went into an old map shop and looked at their vintage globe collection. The globe I was looking was in all black, and the distance from Paris to Los Angeles was the exact distance from my thumb to my little finger.

10. Stop getting to work on time: Let's just say I'll stop doing that for the next, oh seven weeks.

11. Love with an open heart: See below.

12. Walk at the Jardin Luxembourg: I spent the rest of my afternoon walking through the gardens, people watching, pondering, sketching sound diagrams, and thinking "I really love it here."