It's half past one and I can't sleep yet. I downed two cups of coffee earlier to get my system all jacked up so I can adjust to another time zone. The hope is that I'll collapse from total exhaustion and sleep deprivation once I board my plane tomorrow around noon. Am I doing it the hard way? Probably. Even so, I hope to wake up as I land in Paris and walk off the plane with my backpack and french-ready brain into my beloved city.
Before leaving tonight, my family and I went out for dinner as a celebration of the trip to come. Delicious- of course I ordered the french item on the menu- filet mignon- and ate my chocolate decadence cake like it was whole grain toast, washing it all down with a dark roasted coffee. To be accurate to my cultural predilections, I should have ordered an espresso, yet I think that in the coming month I'll grow relentlessly addicted to them anyhow. Why jump in the water before it's time?
I ran into a dear friend at the restaurant who is a long-time Francophile and Paris enthusiast. I told him about my trip about a month ago. As a gift for my departure he handed me a Tiffany & Co. box which held a bracelet he made for his mother after his first trip to Paris when he was 19. The bracelet has a coin from each country he visited during that first trip to Europe when he was young. His mother died a few years ago, and the reception of something so precious gave way to sweet emotion and appreciation. "It's for luck and safety" my friend told me. I kissed him and told him I would wear it proudly on my trip. I hadn't planned on bringing jewelry for the obvious reason of security, but the jingling coins of this totally unique and inspiring bracelet merit the risk of bling.
Thank you, Brad. I love you dearly.
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