Collect Experiences to Savor

Looking for charm, whimsy, beauty, elegance, warmth and more

Dear Friends,

My title Encouragement Only keeps this newsletter on a positive note!

It was a brave step when I began my Substack newsletter in January, and I admit that for the last three weeks, I have remained silent, taking things in, studying carefully and savoring the beauty I encounter.

As an artist, it is my job to look for the beautiful! And not as a fantasy-filled Pollyanna, but perhaps more like a questioning observer, an Alice in a 21st century Wonderland.

And we must create opportunities to be still, clear our minds, if possible, and find time for personal retreats.

Last winter, I planned a November adventure, and now that I am on it, it is not disappointing. Life is best lived treasuring experiences and conversations with special friends and charming people we meet along the way.

Yes, I am enjoying one of my very favorite places during autumn and gaining perspective about home from a distance.

Paris is a magnificent city, and it is currently decked out in its holiday, sparkle! The winter light is a feast for artists’ eyes. Long shadows, early sunsets, brilliant skies, and bedazzling lights set the stage. In fact, the city seems to come even more alive in the evening approaching l’heure de l’apéro’.

Collecting experiences and views!

Conversation can be lively. This is when I wish I truly understood French. Honestly, I catch only a few words and speak mostly with some of the many Anglophones in the city.

Like the museums and sites I am visiting, each conversation and new friend offers a unique perspective. For the most part, my conversations have revealed the pragmatic nature of my older friends while younger people are little more anxious.

At a cafe, I met a young American who learned French during the pandemic and moved to France as soon as he could!

At the opera, I met a young PhD student studying Roman history. He loves the opera and comes once a month!

On my own street, I met a just-married couple from the UK. They loved the crêperie so much that the groom had saved the receipt from a previous visit and they returned.

In a restaurant, I met a woman closer to my own age from the East Coast who had planned a short Paris getaway. Despite her uncertainty about setting out, she had made the trip! It was fun to compare notes and discover many commonalities!

I met an older couple from Lebanon while looking out at falling snow from a Louvre window! Her arm displayed a cast due to a fall near the Eiffel Tower in a scuffle as someone else’s purse was almost snatched. (I take extreme caution in touristy spots just as I would in the US.) The husband remarked about the conditions of snow in his country and I in mine. I expressed my sincere concern for their nation currently. We had a lovely exchange. As I am writing this article, I hear hopeful news of the brokered cease-fire.

And on a walk along the Seine, photographing the beautiful fall foliage surrounding the Louvre, I (well, I didn’t meet him, but) I came within 30 feet of President Macron! I almost bumped into one of his security personnel who actually smiled at me. I grew silent in astonishment.

I have had the honor of being invited into apartments of friends and relatives of friends.

I’ve had a bit of a taste test with hot chocolate: from the famed Café de Fiore, rival café for a century, Les Deux Magots, and my own creation!

And I had the experience when I ordered thin, which I knew was tuna, and here is the plate that I received. It actually was the best canned tuna I have ever, ever had. Savor!

So…when I return to my regular life and begin preparations for Christmas, how can I proceed?

Encouragement only.

I’m encouraged by the youthful hopefulness I observed.

I’m encouraged by the wisdom older people shared.

I’m touched by the kindness I found almost everywhere. —

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Perhaps the one exception was the lady who, after waiting two hours in the senior opera ticket line, jumped ahead of me when I hesitated as the window opened! However, in the next window, I was face-to-face with the sweet young man, Pablo, who had helped me the day before at the other opera venue! He assured me that he would select a very good seat! Quelle chance ? Good things happened to those who wait! 9th row to see “La fille du regiment” at the Opera Bastille, a venue that seats 2700! (and the line for the seniors was indoors seated)

And I will take encouragement from the women’s protests this week. The historic ongoing trial involving Gisele Pelicot will hopefully bring new awareness and legal changes for victims of domestic violence.

There will be trials. And 2024 has presented many. I pray for the health and well being of all nations.

An encouraging attitude also means that as we see challenges, we look for specific, no matter how small, ways to help, not merely complain.

As many of you are busy with preparation for Thanksgiving or other holidays, I am saving my long list of travel “to do” items for another letter.

Until then: Collect experiences! Savor them. In Paris, I find charm, whimsy, beauty, elegance, and warmth.

To my American friends, Happy Thanksgiving! To my French friends, merci for your gracious hospitality!

And in honor of the young man whom I met at the opera, here is my favorite new quote by Cicero, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

À bientôt!

Inspire par vous tous,

(Inspired by all of you)

Janis Commentz