how to take chances

You may think this whole moving to Paris for graduate school thing is bold of me. Brave, even. I can assure you it's neither; at least not in the sense that I am somehow impressive for doing it. One day, I just want to be able to say Georgia O'Keeffe's words: "I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life--and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do."

A few months ago, Amy of The Life Optimist recounted this story:

Kyra Sedgwick has been filming The Closer for seven seasons and recently decided to end the run. She says she was conflicted about it because it was a steady job for her as well as for the cast and crew. But her heart was no longer in it. As she told Redbook, she was torn over the decision for a long time until her husband Kevin Bacon finally said to her, "What about, just for tonight, you decide that you don't want to do another year?"

"Okay!" Kyra said. "But just for tonight, I can change my mind tomorrow." Then, she says, "as I lived with it, it felt so right to me."

What a safe and simple way to test a tough decision and see how it feels, huh?

I have dreams, big ones; the kind of dreams most twenty-somethings have accepted as childhood fallacies in place of more realistic hopes. I sometimes wish I could be satisfied with a steady monotony. But, I can't. And that is what makes taking chances like these--uprooting my life so that I can later arrange it in an even more rewarding place--worth it to me.

Note: Out of necessity, I remind myself of this fact often.

 

Because at the end of the day, I do worry about making the wrong choice, I am afraid of  making a huge mistake, and I am certainly taking a risk by making it. But then I think about the alternative. I think about what would be if I let fear keep me from fulfilling this dream that has manifested itself into a real life opportunity. And those thoughts are always scarier; scary enough to make me willing to try.

No matter if your chance is smaller, riskier, or of precisely the same immensity, I just sincerely hope you take it. Let's both make today that someday.

Thoughts? "I don’t think anyone changes their life until their current state of being is impossible to live in." -Elizabeth Gilbert

Photos from my first trip to France

creating a community

By the time you're probably reading this, I'll be at "the pond." Our visit has turned into quite the girlfriend getaway this year with not only our host and Leslie in tow, but with Sofia and Shayne, too. I don't doubt we're having an amazing time.

I can't remember when I started reading Leslie's blog. What I do know, was when I met her at BeamGreen, I was already familiar enough with her writing to be excited to meet the lovely person behind it. It's through her that I met Sofia, then Megan, and later, Anna. (We each met Katie separately). After inviting Shayne to one of our dining dates, the guest list for this weekend was complete; a list of friends I'll take a girlfriend getaway with because I want to, not just because I can.

Adult-ish friendships are funny. We come into contact with all kinds of people each day--from the someone who hands us our morning coffee to the someone who holds the elevator as we return home--and it's amazing to think how we never know when a relationship is going to stick from one chance encounter. Moving to a new city without any existing contacts puts pressure on the fact though.

Based on my past experiences, I've decided to utilize the social network in Paris. I've been reading Prêt a Voyager and recently stumbled upon C'est Christine which led me to Lost in Cheeseland and more than a few Franco File Fridays.

My only hope is to meet at least one or two bloggers that'll be able to become the kind of friends who'll invite me to celebrate A's with cocktails (e.g. the garden snake: farmer's organic gin, cucumber juice, lemon soda, thai basil) at a place like Flatbush Farm or even to celebrate their birthday with copious amounts of wine, pizza, (and possibly a limoncello shot) at a place like Paulie Gee's.

And if I'm really lucky, they too will be friends I can completely relate to, who won't mind taking 5 minutes to swap slices with me and rest of the table so that each one of us can enjoy the most flavorful pie. My fingers are oh-so crossed.

virginia is for lovers

With a tourism slogan like that, it's somewhat ironic I was on my way to Virginia with my family just 8 hours after I posted about love. Being here (at home) is becoming more challenging with each passing day. I'm both eager to get away from it all and fearful of leaving a mess behind, and I hate that. But, as much as I needed to reveal a little, I'd honestly rather not think about it anymore. Most of us were on "vacation" in the "Old Dominion" for a few hours and it was lovely.

Driving to Virginia was quite the trek so we stopped in the small town of Frederick, Maryland for dinner. It was cute and they made good beer. I thoroughly enjoyed a 1634 ale, green salad, and fish and chips at Brewer's Alley.

From one historic town to another, we arrived at The Mimsyln Inn before sunset.

An early night meant an early morning. I ran at the Inn's gym and ate a filling Southern breakfast of scrambled eggs and grits before 9am. Then, following a work-related Skype meeting and a few hours of productivity, I went out to explore Luray with my mom. Our first stop? Warehouse Art Gallery.

Our second stop? Gathering Grounds Patisserie & Cafe where we sat with iced teas and I got a better look at the book I'd picked up from the used bookstore in town.

Our third, fourth, and fifth stops? Antique shops; there are oh-so-many in Luray.

Eventually, we went to pick up my dad from the driving range, ordered lunches to go, and drove out to Wisteria Vineyard and Farm.

Come on, I couldn't visit a state with a wine country and not taste it. I love wine.

After nine tastings, a walk through the vineyard, and a visit to the farm, we made our way back to the Mimslyn Inn to wash up and join my sister and Rocio for dinner. They insisted on a haphazard photo shoot on the way out.

We dined at Artisans Grill, a supporter of locally-grown food, a winner of "The Best Burgers in Virginia" award, and a server of local Starr Hill Brewery beers.

Even my veggieburger was awesome.

The next morning, as my family leisurely awoke, I scarfed down a complimentary muffin and headed out for a hike in Shenandoah National Park.

Come on, I couldn't visit a state with a gorgeous mountain range and not hike it.

By 10am, I reunited my mom, dad, sister, and Rocio. It was time to head home.

We couldn't possibly have made it all the way without a real meal though, so we stopped in the Frost Diner for brunch. The coffee with real cream, scrambled farm-fresh eggs, and homemade pancakes with real butter hit all the right spots.

In the midst of the imperfectness, it was another family vacation for the books.