Gratitude Friday 09 20 24 The City of Light

“Paris is simply a place of freedom. Geographically central, it has always been a centre of light, learning and research. It will be very difficult for anyone to show that it is not still the home of freedom for ideas; a place where people like to hear ideas presented and discussed; where an artist of any sort is just a human being like a doctor or a plumber, and not a freak or a madman.” ― J.D. Fergusson

Watching the Olympics in Paris a few weeks ago brought back some really fond memories of this amazing city. It was the city that got me thinking about the possibilities of life. Travel can change the trajectory of a young life and travel to the City of Paris in my youth was certainly a trajectory changer for me. I had the opportunity to do some volunteer work in France. I was broke and working at Taco Bell, but managed to scrounge for an airline ticket and a few dollars for incidentals. Room, board and some of the transportation costs once we got there were covered. I think the total cost was $700 dollars, which was a huge sum of money for me, but I managed to save it because I was not using drugs and away I went. I met people from a different culture and did service work on the outskirts of Paris. It was a gamechanger.

While there, I celebrated 9 months of recovery at the American University of Paris on the west bank of the Seine. Around that moment, I realized that my horizons could expand broadly beyond the canyon of addiction I had been trapped in. I could go places and do things if I resolved to do so and expended the effort. I recall walking along the river and visiting Notre Dame and Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur on the top of Montmartre as well as Palace of Versailles and the Palace of Fontainebleau. There is an art market in Montmartre and I bought a tiny cheap painting, which I still have as well as a small tray with a picture of the Eifel Tower on it. I lay my watch and change in that tray at the end of each day as I have for decades. I reflect that in recovery, I can go places and not stay trapped in a small cold world of pain.

So Paris is a very special place to me. It is where dreams awoke within me. It is, for me the city of Enlightenment. It is known throughout the world as the City of Light. Most people think that is because places like the Eifel Tower are illuminated. The actual origin was a result of rising crime in the 1600s. Louis XIV resolved to make Paris safer. In addition to quadrupling the number of policemen in the city, one of the measures was to install more lighting. Lanterns were placed on almost every main street and residents were asked to light their windows with candles and oil lamps. The idea was to prevent lawbreakers from dodging the police or hiding in dark alleys, therefore reducing the crime rate. From here on, the city gained the nickname La Ville-Lumière (‘The City of Light’).

Paris, will always be a special place for me. It was wonderful to see it host the games. To reflect on all the memoires of that time, long ago at the beginning of my recovery. I dared to hope for a life in which I could go to different places, meet people and have experiences beyond which I had dared to dream possible. Paris gave me those things! I have never had the opportunity to spend any more time in Paris than that trip, although years later our family spent a few weeks in Normandy. It was then that I and climbed to the top of Monte Saint Michele and stood on the cliffs of Étretat.

An unexpected treasure of my life is having the opportunity to travel on a few occasions to some special places on this earth. I have had some amazing experiences along side the love of my life, Julie. All a gift of recovery. The other facet that changed the trajectory of things is that travel occurred when I was young. It helped change my perspectives on life as I had the experience of a different culture and people who lived differently than I was accustomed to.

If you are young, travel. It will benefit you in ways that will help shape who you are for the rest of your life. No one among us knows what the future holds. It can be a mistake to wait too long when it may not be possible to do in the same way as when you are in your youth. If you are young and you can scrounge together a few extra dollars, invest it in an experience, it will serve you better than brand named goods or some other luxury indulgence.

I am grateful for my experiences in the summer of 1987 in Paris and the horizons it opened up for me. Now approaching the other bookend of life, the lesson is no less clear for me. From what I can tell by looking around and observing, one of the keys to a happy senior hood is staying inquisitive and looking for new things to learn and experience. You don’t need a ton of money to do so, it seems more of a mindset than anything. Being old is about being crusty and believing it is all over. I know people who sustain a lust for life well into their 90s and they look at every day as a new opportunity to learn and live fully. That actually is the truth no matter how we may perceive it moment to moment over the course of a life. I am grateful for the opportunity to expand my horizons, ones that broadened in the grand city of Paris. My city of light.

What are you grateful for today?