FRANCE
This summer, I went on a trip all over France, and every day the photographer/writer in me was internally screaming. I’m not even kidding, it was such a beautiful place, to me. Before I went I heard some people say “The city is dirty/not what they expected” or that “It is truly amazing and romantic”. One place that I heard about was the Lock Bridge and it crosses over the Seine River. The famous bridge is called “Pont Des Arts” and I wanted to go see it.
This is just one example of the beautiful places all over France. It’s so random right?? I think my whole family was like why the lock bridge and not all of the many structures, monuments, and landmarks. My introspective perspective that sees the beauty was drawn to all the little things; all the locks. They just had so much meaning but also simplicity. I wasn’t planning to got out of the way to see the bridge until one excursion to Montmarte Hill where there were locks on a fence and I was so excited. But, guess what? I found out the bridge “Pont Des Arts” with all of the locks collapsed in 2014 because “It was not structurally stable to hold weight of 700,000 locks”(Tripadvisor). But, that’s okay everything happens for a reason, or does it? That’s a question for later.
Okay everyone, are you locked in? See what I did there :)
Do you ever sit back and dream of what your future could look like? Will you still have the same friends, live in the same state, listen to the same music, cook the same foods? What if every now and then we step back into reality and ask ourselves what we really want in life?
What if there was a bridge just for you with locks of every part of life, especially the present moment. A bridge filled with locks (moments in time). With every step you overcome or realize something new. The difficult times filled with anxiety and pain and the happy times filled with joy and love. You cross the bridge through every struggle, thought, and experience. Every time moving on and moving forward. You can toss the locks in the water that are holding you down and keep the ones locked that you want to keep with you as lessons and memories.
Dream life when living in reality
Do you have any goals/passions? Where do you want to live? What kind of career are you looking for? Are you looking for a relationship or friends or both? All of these questions may be overwhelming and unanswered from the deep waters of the unknown. (The locks that fell in the waters with the bridge think of those as the ones you decided to toss away and move on from). What you can do now is come back to the stable bridge and remember this is your center, you’re grounded here.
So what does life look like in the present, while creating the future. Well, when I was in Paris, France I felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be. Well, not exactly because I know for sure I’ll be living near mountains out west somewhere but the feeling I had there was determination, independence, sweetness, excitement, and hope.
To me, it was the tiny simple things:
- Top of the Eiffel Tower and night lights
- Walking with family and dinners together
- Painting and artwork
- Peppermint tea and oatmeal mornings
- Bike rides
- Ice cream at Monet’s garden
- Rouen shops and the cathedral light show
- Sweet genuine people
- Croissants and cafes
- Shops and clothes
- Old books and movies
- Macaroons, mini sandwiches, and jasmine tea
ONE LOCK AT A TIME
In life, I’ve always believed that things do happen for reasons and what is truly meant to be be will find a way. Just as the locks, there is a reason people stopped to put a lock on the bridge. People created memories and special moments. It’s different cultures, backgrounds, and stages of life. It’s just like all the situations we go through with friends and family. People change and perspectives change depending on life. Trusting our intuitions and living life for ourselves gives it more meaning and allows us to have passions and goals. But, maybe some things don’t happen for a reason they just happen. We just learn to adjust to change, accept, and embrace it all. It’s a slow blend of both reason and the beauty of letting things happen naturally.
As we look in the reflection of the water with all the locks and see what is right now we can have gratitude for the current chapter of life despite challenges. You can “cross that bridge when you get to it” has a much deeper meaning now right? We can mold and shape a life so uniquely ours.
Life isn’t linear. Things happen. It’s time to let go of living in fear and find the gratitude. Life can be complex if you make it that way. But it’s really simple if you create joy, happiness, and meet genuine people along the way. You can look at all you don’t have or you can choose to look at all you have right now. Take your first step on your bridge to a future so beautiful and bright.
Some people may find happiness in fancy materialistic objects, but what I see is life full of so much more beauty by just living and experiencing. People, places, and all the little moments. You don’t have to go to Paris, France to know this because what is within is what truly matters. All we may need is quality music, food, people, and a little bit of adventure. Continuously living moment by moment, day by day, and lock by lock.