New Yorkaise - Parisienne

Something BIG is brewing!

Time to shake up this blog! Details to follow soon!

Dedicated to Love!

I dedicate this post and this song to my friend Lisa who just got engaged! Check out her blog! Once you read it, you'll be hooked! I promise!

Purging my clothes... well, most of them!

This process takes time. I refuse to buy new clothes until I have reduced my wardrobe by at least 90%. I do not identify with most of my clothes. The energy surrounding the garments which cling to the hangers in my closets is that of a woman whose life has been in transition... stuck to some degree. This is no longer the case.

My life is on the brink of an exiting new direction. I do not fit into most of the clothes I own nor do I resemble the image they project. I want to wear vibrant, flowing fabrics. I want to say YES to my dreams, not AS SOON AS I CAN. That time is now! Out with old, in with the new!!

In Memory of My Father

One year ago today, my father crossed over to the spiritual world. He left his body which was tired from a variety of illnesses. His name was Charles, but I always called him Chick.

My father was a talented photojournalist. History and documenting life through images was his passion. He was a very emotional man, one who suffered in life from a great deal of pain but also rejoiced in happiness at the most down-to-earth level imaginable all in the same breath. 

To mark his passing, I am having dinner with a friend of mine from Ireland. My father loved all things Irish. I will raise a toast in his honor and remember the good times, as there were plenty of bad times when I was a child. But as we learn in life to forgive and embrace the moment, I shall think of my father, Charlie, as a man who lived life with gusto... even if at times it was over the top. I will also remember our family trip to Europe in 1978 and the time we spent in France. That trip introduced me to the place on this Earth I call home. France. Paris. My home.

May God bless you and carry you in His arms to an eternal resting place of happiness. One day after a long life of fulfilled dreams, we will meet again, Chick. I love you, and I forgive you for the days when I shed many a tear. You are now released from this Earth. May you always be happy. Amen.

Paris Writer's Workshop

Don't miss the Paris Writer's Workshop in Montparnasse!

In Support of Aimee's Dream!

The blogosphere is a wonderfully, magical place where we feel instantly connected to fellow bloggers based on common values, interests and crossroads in life. In the summer of 2006, I started to follow many blogs written by expats living in Paris. This is my destiny and so I am riveted by the stories of others who have moved to Paris to realize their dreams.

I follow many blogs every day. Two which stand out on my list are PutYourFlareOn and The Bold Soul. I've had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Taylor Huff of The Bold Soul who is a professional writer. Lisa is an expat from New Jersey living in Paris. I recently hired her as a writing coach for aspiring authors and she has published a book on writing.

Today's blog post is dedicated to Aimee of PutYourFlareOn who has realized her dream by buying her own café, L'OisiveThé, in the 13th arrondissement in La Butte aux Cailles quartier. Once I read Aimee's blog for the first time, I was hooked. Aimee is a Korean-American from Kansas who lives in Paris with her French husband and one-year-old son. She is also a talented photographer. Check out her blog to learn more. I have been so inspired by Aimee as she is down-to-earth and the emotions she shares in her blog posts are genuine. How can one not be happy for someone who dedicates her life to realizing her dreams on so many levels?

I'm looking forward to my next trip to Paris when I will surely visit Aimee's café and enjoy some tea, a nice lunch, write in my journal or on my laptop... or even work on a pair of socks I am knitting! :)

Here's to you, Aimee! Wishing you many years of success!!

April and May, Slower Months

March did not pan out to be the slow month I had planned. It certainly has been slow, but it could have been slower.  So April AND May are now marked on my calendar as what I am calling Slower Months. I feel very good inside about pulling back the reigns.

Over the Easter weekend, I made a yummy batch of onion soup. My mother and I ate it for three days, topped with emmental and gruyere. Delicious. In New York, the weather is still nippy, so today I think I will make some lentil soup with onions and carrots. I am also planning to make corn bread, which always goes nicely with soup. 

During the winter months, I have packed on some extra pounds which need to come off. I have been a tad sloth-like, spending too much time in front of my laptop. My eyes are tired. I need to get outside and start walking briskly.

I'm now sitting in front of my computer screen sipping my second cup of java.  As I sit here, I am listening to the sound of a power saw next door. Someone is constructing something. Classical music is trickling softly from the bedroom out into the livingroom. My cat Raja is sitting next to me in his Ethiopian chair purring loudly as he watches me type. His eyes are opening wider with each keystroke. He is turning his head slightly to the right , ever so curious about my blog. As I refresh the screen and click on 'view weblog', he sits up straight and his eyes open wider. He sees the picture of the Eiffel Tower on my blog banner. I am telling him, "Raj, this will be your new home soon. Paris, Raj." His left paw is now extended toward my right shoulder. His right ear is moving back and forth. He is now settling back down into the chair, curling his front paws under his body and his tail around his legs.

Today is the perfect day to begin my spring cleaning, continue clearing clutter, cook a nice dinner and start meditation and yoga again.   

The Muppet Personality Test

I took The Muppet Personality Test after reading about it on The Bold Soul.  Try it yourself!

You Are Miss Piggy

A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it. You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less. You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way. Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift!

The Muppet Personality Test

Less is More

I have been scrutinizing every item in my apartment. If it does not bring value to my life, there is no need to hold onto it. Take a moment to walk around just one room of your home. Do you see things sitting in closets taking up space? Do you wonder, "What is in that blue box on the upper shelf?" If you have to stop and think about what is occupying valuable square footage or meters, isn't it worth pondering the rewards you are reaping from its presence? I mean this seriously.

If you have items which are truly precious to you, are they worth honoring? If not, why are you holding onto them? Is it because your great Aunt Bessie gave it to you when you were five years old? If Aunt Bessie were alive today, what would be her wish for you? Would she want you to live a happy life full of new opportunity or would she want you to be burdened with things which no longer bring you joy? Very likely, the truth is that Aunt Bessie came from a generation where stockpiling meant comfort and joy. Holding on to items "just in case," as the proverbial 'they' say, is not a joyous occasion for me. Who are 'they' and what say do 'they' have in your life?

These ideas may be hackneyed, but honestly, wake up tomorrow morning and really take in the energy you feel from glancing at neatly stacked or haphazardly arranged boxes and bags of mystery items. Stuck energy is what comes to mind when I imagine this exercise. Now think of the last vacation you took where you entered a hotel room facing the ocean. I can see it clearly:

The room smelled like daffodils, the sheets were neatly pressed and turned down just waiting for me, the toilet paper edges were shaped like a triangle waiting for that special moment. At 5:00 in the afternoon, I received a call from the front desk offering to freshen up the room and deliver champagne and chocolate.

The point is, why must our homes become a dumping ground for decades worth of hoarding? We deserve to feel buoyant and refreshed every single day. It is not a question of money. One can be living on a limited budget and be engaged in the simplest lifestyle. It all boils down to living in the moment.

Granted, we choose to own certain items to make our lives easier. On the flip side, do we really need to buy fabric softener and cling-free dryer sheets which are laden with artificial scents? Think back to visiting Aunt Bessie when you were a child. Remember how she used to hang out her clothes on the clothesline in the back yard? Remember the smell of fresh air surrounding you after a warm bath when you climbed into bed at night? I remember those days fondly. Days when people lived frugal lives. Days when maxing out credit cards and living beyond one's means were unheard of. Days when people had conversations around the dinner table instead of racing home to catch Lou Dobbs on CNN while wolfing down nuked leftovers from last night's takeout.

This afternoon, I am on a voracious purge rampage. I stopped, suddenly, and found a reminder of a song I loved as a child when I was learning to speak French at age one. This is the song from The Singing Nun. I just listened to the music and it brought back memories of life 40+ years ago. This song made me realize how important happy reminders of days gone by hold a place in our todays and tomorrows. At the same time, if they are indeed treasures of the past, why not honor those reminders in a special place rather than stuff them away among old shoes and pants which no longer fit?

Embracing life where we are today brings us to the here and now where we can be fully present and ready to open doors to new experiences. Coupled with fond memories, old photos and music we still love to this day have special meaning worth our time and energy. We just need to figure out how to create balance in our lives to embrace the past with the present.

In my kitchen, I have a picture of myself standing in an olive grove in Tuscany in 1993. My arms are wide open pointing up to the sky and my head is tilted back looking up at the clouds. The smile on my face says it all. Above the photo I have attached the following words: "I live with only those things that make my spirit soar and my heart sing."

Putting a Face to the Blog

Putting a Face to the Blog from New-Yorkaise - Parisienne on Vimeo.