Join me for my last hours in Paris and my journey home, carrying lots of goodies and juju!
In this episode:
Join me in Père Lachaise cemetery, a beautiful place to reflect on the journey and gather inspiration for life.
Daring…what will you dare this week? See my incredibly daring act that I pull off while traveling! (That's tongue-in-cheek.)
Pastries, beauty and juju all included. Thanks for watching!
I love this video!
Eatng patisserie in Père Lachaise, completely normal, wonderful.
Cynthia,
your video was wonderful and your message is especially important for me today. Two days ago my yoga instructor was killed in a head-on collision. We did a class last night to honour him. He had much still to teach and I had (have) much still to learn about everything beyond yoga poses. But what he taught me most was that life is a journey of purpose, to be explored every day. Not the frenetic thinking of living each day as if it were your last. At the end of each class he always said: you have homework, do two random acts of kindness every day. One for yourself and one for someone else.
Thank you for giving me your gift that has helped process the joy and sadness in my life right now.
Carolyn.
My, oh my, leaving is always so bittersweet. But you have an admirable perspective, quite enthusiastic and thankful…what a blessing!
As for dares, I took my big one of the week already by inviting 40 people to a symposium to summarize a national conference that I attended earlier in June. My daughter actually had to hit the “send” button for me as I was stuck in “tweak” mode for way, way too long. But it’s out there now and will happen…one way or another.
Loved episode 12. Thank you, thank you for each image of Paris AND all of your observations. How brave you are to paint on the plane! I used to carry a tiny bottle of water and a small brush everywhere with a pad of paper and travel paints. So fun! Hmmm…why don’t I do that anymore??
Bienvenue!
Anne
Cynthia –
Such a delight to see this last bite of Paris. The images are so beautiful and the colors amazing. You have found such a wonderful balance of form and so many things we are presented with are so hyped and fast. Nice to just chill with you and let a moment be a moment.
Ahhh, yes indeed to put the big ? of death at the center of our motivation and the catalyst for finding our true passions and calling. So long ago my own visit to Père Lachaise I realized I could not sit still and allow my creativity to go unused.
My current challenge to myself and others is to passionately embrace every moment and no matter what the situation. So often it seems we can fall into the trap of future happiness and joy based on a long list of requirements. We end up chasing some future endless dream to find what is before us at every moment.
Can’t wait to see you and swap our stories from the past month!
peace & luv – carl
Just lovely and so poignant. I know what it’s like to come back from a trip to a place I love and wonder if I’ll ever go back there again. Your video and storytelling skills really improved on this trip. (not that they were bad before, I just can see your growth.) I was feeling the bittersweetness along with you. What an image in the cemetary with the pastry. And I know that transition phase of not being there and not quite being home yet. You captured it on the moving walkway. Can’t wait to see the next episodes.
Thank-you for sharing these intimates moments, la jour était très jolie dans mon coeur! Merçi!
Thank you, Johanna, so glad to know I’m not the only one who likes pastry in the cemetery!
Carolyn, I wrote an email to you with my condolences but also want to acknowledge you here.
Thanks for sharing what you’re going through. My heart goes out to you and your yoga community. I honor your courage to share this and am so glad that my show resonated with you on a deep level today.
I also like that perspective of life as an exploration rather than a desperate attempt to make sure to get everything in!
Downward dog from here to you and your mat.
Carl,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I like what you said about form and pace. I really noticed something different with my filming and editing in this piece, and like it a lot.
It seemed so normal to use the beauty and gravity of the cemetery to gather inspiration for living in the most vibrant manner we can muster.
I like your challenge to live fully moment to moment. One of my clients uses the phrase ‘future tripping’ to refer to that living in the future mode. I like that, and I like your mission to embrace the moment.
Anne,
It is bittersweet! I love that feeling, I confess, the perfect mélange of sadness and joy. Ahhhhh!!
Congratulations on your leap! I love what you’re doing and I love that your daughter helped nudge you off the ledge. You will be great. This is a lovely step further into your leadership, which I know is growing daily.
Why do you think it was brave to paint on the plane? It was a great way to pass time on those three flights! I actually only painted on two of the flights, but it helped to stay grounded in my heart and creativity.
Bobbi,
Thank you! I love thinking that this episode is ‘lovely and poignant’. Mmmmmm.
Thank you, too, for noticing an improvement in my skills. I saw that too once I watched the episode for the last time before I launched it.
This trip was a whole new layer for filmmaking for me. Mostly I’ve been in the studio, and on this trip I was filming out in the world, both myself, others and events around me. A whole other game.
It’s so fun to play with storytelling with video. I am having a blast and spent some time yesterday organizing my future episodes with all the fun stuff I want to share! Stay tuned!
Kerrie,
You are very welcome! I like thinking of this episode as full of intimate moments!
I also like it when you or anyone writes in French here – go for it! It makes me happy to connect in that language, too!
Good morning! Thank you for sharing your journey over the pond and back. It’s just loose enough I find myself chuckling over something clever you’ve noted or done, I tend to watch these in the wee hours when everyone else in the house is asleep, so the burst forth of an uncontrolled laugh/chortle goes skipping wildly about in the early morning solitude I treasure. But the laughter is welcome, as are the sleepy heads of my children when they come to seek out the source of laughter. Thank you for tickling forth the most lovely emotion.
I enjoyed the street concert of Nantes this morning. So many layers of insights in there. And the bit about the pastry in the elaborate stone garden (cemetry), priceless! I about spilt my tea! A few of us Genealogists will relate to your visit and not find it odd at all. We’ve had more than a few lunches w/ newly discovered relatives on occassion.
Lastly, “Welcome back to the US.” We all look forward to the coming attractions from your creative center.
Namaste
Cynthia,
your message was indeed beautiful and peaceful. What a great way to part with a lovely place and make peace with your return to Denver. The things you said especially resonated with me as a friend of mine seems to be losing a battle with leukemia. For the past few years I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to suppress my creative side to forge a more “practical” life. It’s not working and being reminded of how short and precious life is, I’m reflecting on putting one foot in front of the other and honoring my creative inclinations.
Cynthia,
My favorite word and feeling is JOY… and watching all your video’s brings me JOY… each and every time.
I found your mix of eating pastry, enjoying the simple pleaures of life, in the cemetary was so beautiful. Wow.
I could feel my heart tingle with JOY as you talked about how you love your life, you love where you are in your life right now… I feel that way often too… and wish for the whole world to feel that way.
Thank you for these video’s that always bring a wonderful JOY to my life each week.
Welcome home… and can’t wait to see what more you have up your creative sleeve!
Barbara