Joie de Vivre: A virtual coffee

Paris is always a good idea.

~ The movie Sabrina



Bonjour!

Pull up a cafe chair.
I've found us just
the right spot to drink
cafe au lait and watch
the world go by....

It's raining in Minnesota
as I write, but this is a virtual 
coffee, so I ask myself,
Where would you love
to be right this minute
sipping coffee and sharing
confidences over steaming
cups of goodness?

Paris.


The sky is crystal clear,
with just a few puffy white
clouds.  Although it is
still early, the streets have
already been washed
clean; the city is ready
for the day.

The fragrance of fresh bread
from the boulangerie next
door permeates the air,
mixing with the aroma of
the rich brew in our cups.


Ahh.

How was your last week?

Mine was filled to the brim
with social activities.
Every day included a lunch
or coffee date, a baseball
game, a band concert or a
dinner party.

This seems to be the norm
at the end of the school year.
I call it the sprint to the finish.


And while I love spending
time with friends and cheering
on my son's baseball team, I'm
really a homebody at heart. 
Too much out and about social-
butterfly-ness throws me
off balance a bit.

This year we have received
half a dozen invites for
graduation open house parties.
My head just spins when I
realize that in two short years
we will be hosting our own
high school graduation party.

Sniff, sniff.


  
{I do think a chocolate crosissant
would help right now--thank you!}
  You are such a good friend!

One of the {many} things I
absolutely adore about watching
the world go by in Paris is
the fashion.
 
polyvore.com
 So effortless ~
So classic, yet so current ~
So beautiful.

vogue.com
There goes a little girl in
a sweet smocked dress.
I love her red shoes!

minihipster.com
There goes an older
gentleman ~
Trousers and white
dress shirt, a scarf
casually knotted
around his neck.

And there goes a
group of young women,
probably headed to the
office, high heels click
clicking on the pavement,
smartly cut dresses and skirts,
confident and glowing....


A scooter zooms past
us and rounds the corner,
roaring down a little side street.
Our waiter asks us if we'd
like another cafe au lait.

Oui, monsieur!

We chat about summer and
our sand-bucket lists.  Here's
part of mine:

strawberry picking
reading books by the lake
writing outside
early morning bike rides
my feet in warm sand
star gazing
cold museums on hot, muggy days


And it occurs to me
that what I really want
to do is capture moments,
like fireflies in a jar,
savoring them for a little
while and then releasing
them back to the universe.

Which is why we are in
Paris, sipping cafe au lait
together ~ capturing a moment.
The French do this so very,
very well.  It's in their
DNA, I think.



 They can pull up a table
and a chair anywhere ~
on a street
under a tree
on a terrace ~
Add a pot of coffee or a
bottle of wine ~
A friend and some sunshine ~
Voila! A moment : )



  
I haven't been to Paris in
many years.  I wonder if
technology has changed
the French way into the
mulitasking way that so
many of us now live?

I hope not.

I like to imagine that I
 can meet you for coffee,
the French way ~
and we will linger and
relax and be wonderfully
in the present. 
A gift.


Time to walk off our
croissants.  I want to hear
more about your sand-
bucket list.  Let's meander
towards one of the famous
Parisian jardins.  It's
 such a very pretty day and I
don't want this moment
to end.


 Thanks for joining me for
a virtual coffee.  Enjoy all of
your special moments,
this week!

xx
Suzanne


Linking to

[Photo credits:  photobucket.com,
unless specified under image.]







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