Was I really in Paris, or was it all a dream?
It has been exactly one month since I returned from Paris to San Francisco, and already it feels like months ago when I was in the city of "metro, boulot, dodo" (metro, work, sleep). Every now and then I wonder if I actually lived in Paris for two months, had pastries for breakfast nearly everyday, explored the streets of Paris with a camera and an absorbing mind, and travelled to the Provence and the Alps for some unforgettable adventures.
I questioned this particularly when I got on the scale upon my return and realized I lost five pounds while in Paris. Yes, recognize your jealousy and move on. But losing five pounds after two months of French dining, pastries, and ice cream! Must have been all that walking.
The way I see it, Paris was really a launching pad for the next phase. The little gray cells began to churn, and daydreams began to mix with reality. One of the things that happened during my last week in Paris has led to an exciting new project which will commence in one week.
The one thing that I miss the most of all the activities that I used to do when younger is performing in a music ensemble. This may come as a surprise to some, but there is a performer inside of me that's waiting to leap out and prance about on any stage to relive the old days of orchestras, marching bands, and choruses. On one of my last days in Paris, I saw a flyer for a concert by the Paris Rainbow Symphony Orchestra. I thought it would be fun to attend, especially since they were playing some great pieces, but unfortunately the concert had already happened the night before. Disappointed, I scanned down to the bottom of the flyer where I saw the words "in affiliation with the San Francisco Bay Area Rainbow Symphony." Now that was a surprise. I didn't even know that such a symphony existed in Frisco!
As soon as I returned to SF on June 3, I searched online for the ensemble. To my delight, their very first concert was going to be June 8 at 7 pm. The timing was perfect! I'll go to the concert, check them out, then join them to unleash the performer in me that has been dormant for the past 15 years. No such luck - I realized I was scheduled to work from 10 am to 9 pm that day.
And then, when I got to work that day, I realized I was mistakenly scheduled to work only until 6 pm. Perhaps it is true what people say - that when you want something and work hard to achieve, certain forces in nature seems to be on yourside to make sure you succeed. I was able to attend the concert after all, and I will be joining them for the next set of rehearsals in one week. Now I just have to decide whether I'll play the violin or the cello.
So besides music, my other projects now include tennis (I've started taking lessons to improve), acting (my improv class is the one thing I look forward to the most every week), script writing, and studying French, which definitely will suffer a bit away from Paris. Sometimes I do one thing then later wonder if I really did it or just dreamed it.
It doesn't make a difference, I just enjoy it all.
