So… it’s been almost a month since I returned from Europe.  It still feels like only yesterday that I was strolling the streets of Paris.  Funny, before the trip, I did not have much affinity for Paris despite having visited there in 2009.  Perhaps it was the fact that I sprained my ankle as I was leaving the city on that trip, or the fact that I couldn’t find decent food to eat.  This time, though, Paris grew on me… it really wedged its way into my heart.  Maybe it’s because I didn’t try so hard to love it this time.  It sprang out and loved me instead.

And now I am back in the woods.  The glorious, remote woods – full of warm-blooded creatures of all shapes and sizes.  I do love the beauty that surrounds me here.

But it’s not the city.

The energy of the city fills me with inspiration.  I’m greedy to interact with people in all their eccentric glory.  I love to stroll the streets in pursuit of my errands, with the wind caressing my face and the sun warming my nose.  Out in the world is where I find my spirit and my comfort.

I can live for weeks, even months of undisturbed happiness in the woods, but my heart always drifts back to the city.

The size is unimportant as long as it has your basic city trappings – grocery, hardware, post office, gas station, cafe, pub, theater, people, sidewalks, bicycle lanes.

In my ideal life, the outdoors is part of my daily routine of running errands and living life – not an extraneous thing that I must set aside time to engage in.

The city is not in my immediate future, but I’ll always have Paris.