It Only Takes A Smile

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In Chartres the Lumiere festival occurs to mark the ending of summer.  Watching this fire, although there were loads along a path was both invigorating and soothing. 

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It was beautiful to see family and friends gather on a dreary Mid September Saturday eve to take in what they city had to offer this year artistically to their people. I hear the visual spectacle changes annually. 

Trance like music played in the background, as we stared in wonder of these creations. One of our earth’s elements being put on display, like a precious Rolex in a store window.

We complain about the shift in weather , from sun to sleet. But there is potential for it to embraced like the people of Chartres.

I did the unthinkable , I got another tattoo.  I tend to get tattoos marking big events:

 Ohio- turning 17 with my parents holding my hands, it was my birthday gift 

LA- getting my doctorate , being surrounded by friends

Hawaii- alone, passing my licensing test

Hawaii- with my soon to be husband , during my 40 day mindfulness journey

I was waiting for the perfect moment… I knew it would have to be in Europe , after I completed paying off my student loans , but the question was what to get. I debated on the infamous line from Joseph Campbell to “follow your bliss” or the Sanskrit variation which he derived it from Sat Chit Ananda 

Or perhaps I could get a silly fox or angel wings . But nothing felt right . And then I stumbled upon this quote in French by the author of the Little Prince Antoine de saint-exupéry : Fais de ta vie un rêve, et d’un rêve, une réalité.

Translated : Make your life a dream, and the dream a reality.

This symbolised everything for me.

I notice my life has been full of moments. I have been doing my dream job for three years , and I keep stumbling onto greatness.

 We have so much possibility inside us, but tend to set limitations. Perhaps those are limitations we inherited from our family or society and implanted them into our cells. But life does not have to be ordinary.  

I have had some amazing times in my life, which I am truly grateful for. Yet I almost expect these opportunities to happen to me, because I know how awe-inspiring this sense of energetic law of attraction is. 

Dream bigger. 

Know there is more waiting for you. 

Have faith in others and share that with them, we all can use that boost. 

Thanks to my tattoo artist at Abraxas 

My dream profession that I secretly long for is to be a writer . Sadly I rarely I allow myself the chance to write, but each time I travel that longing deepens. This is truly apparent every time I visit the Shakespeare Bookstore in Paris.  Each visit to Paris, I squeeze in this bookstore everyday. It’s like having coffee with an old friend I have been dying to visit . There’s never enough time to take in being in the atmosphere of this magical place. 

How I learned about the bookstore was from my favourite movie of my 20s…Before Sunset. Co-written and co-starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. My friends and I would binge watch this movie before Netflix existed , rewinding the end to further philosophise and argue over the ambiguous ending .  The film was my favourite film for 10 years.  This movie and then bookstore became a symbol of desire and unrequited love of : Boys, Paris, and my dream to be a writer . 

Tonight these dreams came true. Stars aligned the day I arrived in Paris , my ultimate destination bookstore is having a release party. The backdrop of the bookstore has served as my Facebook photo for the past three months, the streets of Paris line my vision board for the year , and I jokingly commented to my friends I would run into a character from the film that night.  The cozy room was filled with writers , photographers , bookstore owners from around the world , and Ethan Hawke! It was one of those moments that lasted hours, and I had to continually remind myself to stay present. I needed to inhale how grateful and amazing life was. 

Hours after this event has ended, I am still basking in post bliss.Yesterday was a spiritual experience.  My friends reminded me I had “A Moment ” which don’t seem to occur much in life anymore. But the reality is these moment s are available for us to inhale.

 Thank you Shakespeare Bookstore for continuing to inspire all of us throughout the decades.  

Your beauty, history, and magic will always light the creative flame in my unrequited heart. 

as I hand out these gratitude cards, this elder jolly French man while standing in line offered me and the baristas candy. I didn’t understand a word of French he spoke, but smile and nodded as I handed him a card. Although we cannot communicate via words , the language of Gratitude transcends all. 

How can you look at these wellies and not get excited to walk your dogs in the rain? 

Look how to reframe any begrudging thought. 

These wellies were well worth the investment for each rainy day in England I will endure 🙂

On our 10 year anniversary , I dedicate this blog post to my husband. I notice I tend not to brag about him and his accomplishments, but I am quite proud of him. 

He has relocated to the UK with me.  As a chef who has worked with some of the world’s greatest culinary leaders, he could easily have had his selection of top jobs in The industry.  Instead he chose to pick a lower ranking job with a top chef. He only wanted to work for Heston Blumenthal at one particular restaurant: Dinner. His Taurus mind was set. He only applied for one job, and had no back up plan. He had faith in himself and he got it! 

I could never work his 18 hour days, standing on his feet the entire day.  Yet surprisingly this is the industry, and he loves and thrives in it . 

I realise how seldom I tell him how proud and in awe I am of him . He needs to hear that . 

Think of who in your life may need to hear words of encouragement , and share it

(He’s in the blue shirt above with his favourite band Wild Beast). 

We recently brought a large group of families to Nottingham Forest for the Robin Hood festival. Who knew the real Sherwood Forest existed ? We took in the love of his story of stealing from the rich to give to the poor, and encouraged our 75 individuals to give a kindness coin to someone when they caught them Doing something good. 

So much of the time we focus on how strangers and others frustrate us: driving on the roads , in line at a supermarket , or  at work. Catch a moment of positivity and let them know how it impacted you. They will appreciate it and pass it on.

I just discovered Improv Everywhere and am addicted.  If only life were a musical…

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Curtis Mayfield plays in the background as I enter s coffee shop. Instantly I am taken back to my barista days , where times were simpler. No major bills , responsibilities , or serious relationships . It seemed easier to be kinder to strangers that time , serving customers . I noticed the regulars who would come in , looking for a place to study or for a place to call home .

I heard a Lena Dunham podcast yesterday in which she interviewed her artist mom. Her mom only thought she could herself be an artist her entire her life . Nothing else was an option. But as she aged she discovered and developed qualities such as patience , kindness , and humility where she could now be in areas to serve others such as being a waitress . What an interesting concept . We think service industry jobs are entry level jobs that anyone can do , but in reality to be truly good at it you need skills of such high caliber… You must be centered and on your game in order to be friendly and open to others.

Think of that as you leave your next tip;)