Tuesday, July 16, 2013

5 Simple Life Lessons Learnt in 21 Days


I recently spent what felt like a rather brief though it was almost a month long family summer vacation abroad (as you may have noticed if you are a regular on L'Art de Vivre and follow me on Instagram, since I bombarded you with daily pictures trying to document and share the highlights of this unforgettable trip). It wasn't my first time in any of our destinations, it was however my first time with kids and more importantly, my first trip with no agenda whatsoever.

Traveling with my husband is great in the sense that he loves planning every second of a trip and you really get to see every site worth seeing in each city we visit. You do however need a holiday after each holiday. Not that I'm bitching about it, I'm young, I'm healthy, I have the energy, and realize how many people can't afford to travel frequently or take this much time off.

This trip however, I accepted to on two conditions. One, we'd had to stay in one same city at least three weeks or 21 days, and two, we wouldn't have a schedule.

Why three weeks? 21 days is the average of what it takes a human being to get used and adapt to any new environment. One city? Yes, only one. We usually try to squeeze in three or four cities on one same trip. We get to see a little bit of everything but usually miss out on the not so touristy sites and best kept local secrets, because we usually run out of days and have to move on to the next city. 21 days in one same city is enough to get a good sense of how life would be if you actually lived in it.

The city? Being the french freak that I am, Paris was the obvious choice.

Apart from stuffing my face with patisserie, baguettes, croque monsieurs and macarons, there are a few life lessons I learnt these past weeks, not from Paris, not from the french, but from myself, and from taking the time to savour the small joys of everyday, and turning every moment into L'Art de Vivre.

LESSON # 1: LET. YOURSELF. GO.

Please people don't stop reading at the title above to let yourself go to your nearest fast food joint and grab a burger with large fries and skip the gym. Today, letting yourself go has nothing to do with gaining weight, and not caring for your bodies. Letting yourself go is about caring for your soul.

In the past four weeks I learnt how hard it is to live in the moment and disconnect yourself from the world, and for a brief instant let yourself go. Allowing yourself to enjoy that very second, putting aside all your fears, your plans, your dreams, your worries... Not to mention, disconnecting yourself from the electronic world and social networks! The first few days I couldn't leave the apartment without Ipad, Iphone, Ipod, and camera in hand just to name a few devices. I would constantly check my email, facebook, and whatsapp (my best friend is pregnant and would check daily for updates as her due date was getting closer. Nothing still, much like the royal baby...)As the days went by I relied solely on my iPhone, mostly to take pictures. Still it was hard to realize I should be living in the moment and nowhere else. I should be enjoying the right here, right now and nothing else.

Then, one day, it hit me. We were sitting at Place des Vosges, mostly people watching on a lazy sunday afternoon. My husband and my daughter were taking a nap on the green summer grass. There we were with not a single care in the world. Nowhere else we had to be, no one we had to meet. We could stay there for as long as we wanted. I sat there noticing most people laying on the grass next to us were on their own moment as well. Some were playing the guitar, others had set up full on picnics with bottles of Rosé, bread and cheese, a couple of young lovers were cuddling and whispering in each other's ears, and children were splashing around a fountain. I swear it was an image right out of a film, where everyone was going around minding their own business, just before a giant meteor would hit earth without them knowing what was coming. Except it didn't. Right there and then, the world had stopped for all this people and finally, it had for me too. The sun was setting, yet no one was moving, no one was packing up, no one was in a rush, no one was going home: this very second was home.

I could've stayed laying there forever. I slept like a child that night and dreamt of sunny summer days, blue skies and grassy hills.

For the first time in a long time, I.LET.MYSELF.GO....until I heard the 'Mommy I'm hungry' cry at 6 a.m. the next morning...then I let myself go...to the kitchen!




Tomorrow on L'Art de Vivre 
LESSON # 2: NOBODY IS WATCHING...REALLY.





2 comments:

  1. Most people believe that three of the greatest pleasures in life are:

    Food, Love and Family

    To me, allowing yourself to let go is the greatest pleasure in life... why? well, how can you enjoy food if you don't lose yourself go and just experience every flavour, textures, colours and just feel the pleasure that food brings, forgetting names, brands, price or even who prepared it… just let go and savour the food, feel it in your mouth and how it slowly slips down your throat nourishing every bit of your body... how can you really love if you don't let yourself go and just give out your heart and not be worried about getting hurt, regardless of the type of love you let yourself experience... how can you relate to your family, communicate with them, live with them if you don't let yourself go, and stay stock thinking inside the box, fixated in what is expected from you and others, just because of social status and upbringing... you need to let yourself go in everything you do in life and let yourself enjoy every minute of it :D
    I loved it… Thank you for reminding me what I had forgotten this last two weeks.

    From your childhood friend.

    PS: God bless you and your family… XOXO :D

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    1. Thank you for your beautiful comment. You completed my post. Whoever you are tomorrow's last two lessons I'll be posting on food and family are dedicated to you. You gave me the chills it's almost as if you had already read what I have written ready to post!

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