la Routine

It’s Friday, TGIF.  I left Homer one week ago and it seems like forever that I abandoned my comfort zone. Travel has a way of distorting the sense of time. I have finally settled into a routine here in Paris. It took awhile and there were times when all I really wanted to do was go home. It is an effort when all things are new and waiting to be discovered. Nothing is easy and even the simplest things like getting from Point A to Point B become a challenge. However perseverance is how one grows in body, mind and spirit. Overcoming obstacles in search of another way of doing, or another way of being – for better or worse, is a reward. Getting in the Paris groove took longer than I expected. Nevertheless, I am now there.

My routine begins between 4-5 AM when I make a cup of decaf Necafé, open the computer, write for a few hours and then read, write morning pages in my journal and decide on my day. The choices are unlimited so it must be something I feel like doing at the time. Bella of course is still asleep under the covers. That said, I take a shower and dress in my dog walking clothes - yoga pants, a sweatshirt and tennis shoes. At this, Bella is awake and ready to explore her outdoor world because she too has settled into my routine.

We usually walk to Champs de Mars for a morning view of the Tour de Eiffel and run for at least an hour. Back at the flat I toss her a few balls and she is ready for breakfast and a nap, in that order. I grab my Mac and head over to Starbucks to check in with my Homer life.

When I first arrived here I felt like “I’m in Paris, I have to be doing something” consequently running from one thing to another. That was exhausting especially with jetlag that drug on for a few days because of our daily afternoon naps. However, the pace has slowed considerably and I am comfortable to relax and really figure out what I want to see, not dictated by what I should see.

Today I took the Metro to the RER B train getting off at the Jardin Luxembourg. At the suggestion of my friend in Saignon I stopped at the Patissier and got lunch – jambon & fromage quiche and a chocolate caramel torté for dessert. I packed my large Cannon camera, a new book from the Village Voice, along with a street map and headed over to the metro station.

A short time later I was completely surrounded by a gorgeous garden, reclining in a lawn chair overlooking the fountain and the Luxembourg de Palais. Sixty-three acres of lush, gorgeous grass, flowers and trees sitting in the middle of the Left Bank separating St. Germain and the Latin Quarter. The sun was shining, the lunch was perfect and the book is laugh out loud funny.

I am now back home with Bella and our mission this afternoon is to find a Laundromat nearby before we head to the park for a romp. Afterwards I will take my book to the nearest Bistro that offers happy hour and order a Vin Blanc, reading until it is once again time to check-in with the Homer connection via the Internet.

Life is as it should be at the moment in Paris.