« Les enfants n’ont
ni passé ni avenir et, ce qui ne nous arrive guère, ils jouissent du présent. »
-- Jean de La Bruyère
Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do.
This past week I found myself quite antsy. I wasn’t sure the
reason. I was with Claire, so being alone wasn’t the problem. I didn’t have the
desire to be sitting in my apartment. I had no immediate need to travel. I just
couldn’t put my hand on it. All I knew is that I had the overwhelming feeling
of being unsatisfied.
I have an orange journal which I have written in every day
since my arrival here in France. But lately I was upset with myself, finding
the journal to be more of a nuisance than a joy. It had become rather
impersonal, stating facts about my time instead of emotions and true thoughts.
So on my train ride home (yet another three hours of being in transit), I took
out my orange book and began dissecting what I hadn’t been able to put to
words.
Here is what I discovered. I’m ready for a change. But the
problem is, this is how I’ve always lived my life. A few months here, a few
weeks there. What I’ve always loved is planning the next thing. There’s a
point, however, when I’m going to have to live in the now. I don’t want to be
wishing my time away here.
Last spring I had taken a wellness class, mostly for an easy A and to
get in my last credits I needed to graduate. To my surprise, I found this
course very interesting and was able to apply what I learned in class to my
daily life. A simple, yet inspiring lesson about the seven dimensions of
wellness always stuck with me.
- Physical
- Emotional
- Spiritual
- Intellectual
- Social
- Environmental
- Occupational
Up until my arrival in France, I worked daily to create a balance among all
these things in my life. Once in Commercy, my whole schedule was thrown off
kilter, thus sending my harmony out the window. So on that Wednesday afternoon aboard the SNCF train to Commercy, I began to set goals to find this balance again throughout these next three and a half months. It’s crazy to see how my entire mood has already changed. I wake up almost every
day at 8am (instead of my usual grasse
mat, sleeping until noon). I have things to do accomplish and it makes each
day so much more meaningful. And the sun shining sure helps too :)
I’ve got the next month to just take life easy and focus on the present, a surprisingly nice change from the chaos of traveling I experienced throughout December and the beginning of January.
A few highlights. (Or rather, I should start with the lowlight which consisted of me leaving my camera on the Paris metro upon my mother’s arrival, thus explaining the lack of pictures… )
- After Commercy, Mom and I headed off to London! We spent a whole day with my friend Asha and her family. What a blessing! We also saw three shows in two days in West End and I was able to check off multiple things from my Book of Things to Do…
- The two of use spent Christmas in Paris. Attending Christmas Eve Mass at Notre Dame was one of those surreal moments.
- I made a trip to Belgium to see a friend who was an exchange student at my high school. Her family was so welcoming and it was so wonderful to meet again after four years!
- My great friend Kelsey visited for a week!! (And my mom sent a new camera with her for me. Thanks Mom!) We celebrated the New Year under the lights of Paris and we made a planned trip to Luxembourg.
- Kels and I, along with Claire made a weekend trip to Amersterdam, which I have since deemed my new favorite European city. The architecture was beautiful. We went biking next to the canals like locals. And we were able to see the Anne Frank House. Wow. Only highlights. Well, except for that night bus...
There is so much more to tell, but the words never seem to give my memories justice.
February will bring a trip to Spain, but until then, I’m going to be working on being happy where I’m at. I want to look at life with a more childlike view, enjoying what each day has to offer.
 |
| Claire, Kelsey, and Bre outside the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam |
