Finding My Flow

By my second week in Paris, I was no longer trying to see everything.

My mornings had developed their own routine. I made hot chocolate and chai with pistachio milk, wrapped a scarf around my neck, and headed outside. I knew where to buy groceries, which streets led home, and which nearby shops I wanted to visit again.

The neighborhood was becoming familiar.

One afternoon, I stopped at the produce shop across the street and met Paul, the owner. He is from India and initially thought I might be too. We laughed when I asked for cilantro, and our conversation continued from there.

After thirty years in hospitality, Paul and his wife opened the shop following the changes Covid brought to their lives. He told me that owning it had been his wife's dream.

Before I left, he added grapes and clementines to my bag.

“For the road.”

That simple exchange became one of my favorite parts of the week. Paris was becoming less about landmarks and more about the people I met while doing ordinary things.

That continued throughout the week.

At a sustainable fashion exhibition, I saw designers from across Europe and Ukraine turn discarded materials into clothing with new purpose. My favorite was a dress by Spanish designer Maurice Marinez, made from leftover fabric collected from special occasions among friends. The idea that memories could become part of something newly made interested me as much as the dress itself.

There was also the Louvre with Luanna, Aisha, and Sister Judy. We saw the Mona Lisa, but I found myself more interested in The Wedding Feast at Cana, along with an exhibition of jewelry and timepieces celebrating craftsmanship and history.

And then there were the evenings.

After a day in the Marais, we stopped for tea at La Route des Comtoirs. I planned to take mine with me until Lorraine smiled and said, “This is Paris. It’s never too late for tea.”

So we stayed.

Four women, tea on the table, conversation continuing well into the evening.

By week two, Paris had become less about checking places off a list. I was shopping in the neighborhood, talking with shopkeepers, meeting friends, looking more closely at art and design, and allowing an ordinary errand to become part of the experience.

I came to Paris wanting to know what everyday life there might feel like.

By the second week, I was beginning to find out.

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