Autumn Stroll In Return To Paris

The cold seeps through my light jacket and makes me shiver. Yet here I bask once again in the glories of autumn in Paris. With each breath taken, I notice how life slows into the shadowed nuances of a Monet or Renoir masterpiece. I will thus quiet my mind from life’s endless complexities and simply enjoy the present moment now. Past regrets or future worries can always wait.

So I walk quietly along the Seine with no destination in mind. Crunching along the fallen leaves, I gaze starry-eyed at priceless vestiges of an earlier time. Stately buildings display illustrious inscriptions from the French past. A royal chandelier shines brightly from a passing window with ghosts of sumptuous feasts gone by. Noticing the French flag soaring proudly on a passing barge, I truly feel the French pride in country now.

The geometry of shape mesmerizes me in several ways as a grand footbridge draws closer. Gilded bronze decorations of gods and goddesses reveal a time when great emperors ruled the Western world. Cast iron streetlights remain as a ornate remnants of Beau Epoque ornateness in the late 19th century. A perfect symmetry of arch is formed as a tourist boat quietly emerges into view. As dusk approaches, now, the dramatic presence of Notre Dame suddenly emerges beyond these murky waters in full, Gothic splendor.

The Parisian landscape that I have observed today on this simple walk along the Seine reveals a moment of personal truth. So much in life can be gained if we notice the simple signs of nature that surrounds us every day. A dying leaf, a mystical river, a stony path: I suddenly wish that today would never end.