It is a perfectly blue-sky autumn day in Paris. I had breakfast at my favorite pastry shop in the all the world: Laduree (check it out: http://www.laduree.fr/public_en/maisons/royale_accueil.htm) with a new friend from the Czech Republic...St. Honore Rose Frambois is the name of the one particular pastry I call pure Nirvana. I accompanied that with "Marie Antoinette Tea", a worthy combination.
After breakfast (at noon), a stroll through the Jardin des Tuileries, watching children play by the fountains and taking in the sun. A word to the wise: don't wear fashionable shoes on such occasions! I thought I was tough...but man! I ended up torturing my poor feet and having to give up sight seeing for a desperate journey back to the flat to relieve the pain and recline for awhile. I know I "should" know better, but keep in mind I am in one of the most intoxicatingly fashionable places on the globe! My Brazilian grandmother used to say, "You must suffer to be beautiful"...
It's interesting how those of us from the U.S. quickly forget the importance and entitlement we all have for some leisure in our lives. In our fast-paced, super-sized culture, leisure means either you are wealthy or lazy. And either way, you are supposed to feel guilty!
But in Europe and much of the rest of the wide world...leisure is an imperative part of a healthy life. Time to stroll through a park or a beckoning "Rue". Time to relish a good meal and enjoy some wine...whatever time of day it might be! This is a balanced life. So, please dear reader, find some time to relax and trickle your fingers on the piano, pet the cat, read the paper, or just sip some cappuccino and take in some sunshine!
Speaking of which...to emphasize the point...someone is playing piano from across the courtyard as I write this!
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