Memorial Day weekend is the mark of a new happy beginning: summer celebration! …And also gratitude for what’s important to you in your life and in your local area today.
I’m appreciating the peaceful local Rolling Thunder motorcyclists riding through town, the U.S. Indy 500 sport, and the international French Open tennis match that helps to unite our world.
It’s also a good time to reflect in gratitude for the life you’ve already had. For me, I’m thankful for the travel I did pre-2020 that are joyfully stamped in my memories.
For self-care, I find solo travel to be one of the best ways to be reflective and grateful. You can find a new place to explore without compromise, and to find yourself and happy self in the process.
In May 2012, I did just that. I explored and got lost around Paris, France for a week. I could breathe in a different culture, and see a glimpse of how big this world is and how small a piece we are.
What you take with you on travel and in your life is your mind, body, and spirit. And that’s the part that gets impacted the most in travel.
For me (and maybe you), international travel is exciting with new sights, sounds, tastes, culture, people, and history.
And a city like Paris is nothing short of joyful sensory overload… But there are more similarities to American cities than dissimilarities. The language is the biggest difference that jumps out the most.
The highlights are walking down boulevards, visiting museums, purchasing a Parisian beret and scarf, experiencing scents and tastes from all the beautiful boulangerie breads and pastries, and then finally making it one day to the iconic Eiffel Tower (as a dramatic climax).
When I had first arrived, I was sleep-deprived from the 6-hour time difference. But — the first day is magical as my eyes pop out of my head in wonderment. The happy center of my mind is hungry for more. And is reinforced with the scent of fresh quiche everywhere.
Walking up a classic cobblestone pedestrian street like Rue du Mouffetard was a great way to start. The joy effect does wear off after a few days, and it took a few cappuccinos and seeing many sights.
These are a few gratitude notes I took away:
Balance.
Paris is a city of balance. You can sit in a café and “be,” and no one will rush you. You can watch the world walk by. You can stroll and sit along the Seine River, or relax in the garden parks (Jardin des Tuilleries).
Staying in the Latin Quarter area, I got away from the hustle and bustle tourist district and shopping-feel that the central Opera neighborhood has.
Beauty.
When you see peaceful Monet’s water lilies mural paintings at Musee de L’Orangerie, you get a new sense of appreciation… and then you just wanna lay on an outdoor chaise lounge so you can be mindful of your beautiful surroundings.
Life.
You can get your fill of vitality in the churches, as you visit the grand Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur. You can hear church bells and see street performers playing accordions in between sites.
You also hear fluent French spoken with beautifully connected sounds. I appreciated my ability to speak broken French as my high school French teacher came to my conscious mind.
City of Lights.
In May, you realize that the Paris sun sets around 10 pm and that the global earth operates in different time zones. With more daylight, you have a chance to experience and aspire to do more each day.
You realize how the world runs in different time zones and the Universe looks different from another perspective, but the lit sun stays constant.
Contentment.
I felt grateful (and content) for the gift of life and the uncertainty.
I was grateful for the freedom and ability to travel by myself.
I was thankful for the health I have and the growth I had made up to the point.
I was thankful for the people I had met and who are a happy part of my life.
Then when it was time to go back home, I was looking forward to going back to the life I had that allowed me to take a week off to explore.
I journaled my experience in a scrapbook I created with warm and appreciative memories. I can relive the thoughts and feelings I had at the time, any time.
With memorable trips like the one I took a decade ago, I realize I’m physically living in a different place, and in a different place in life now (as we’re constantly growing).
Since my Paris trip, I’ve opened my mind and world to seeing 9 additional countries. There’s plenty of room for happy memories.
The happy part I cherish the most in every one of my trips and travel adventures is when in my return, it’s my turn in the airport line to pass through the American Immigration desk, and the man in the kiosk smiles and says, “Welcome Home.”