Inspired Things

Today was a day filled with inspiration and color! I’m pretty sure I saw all of Paris in a day, and even though it was busy, I have no complaints! It was too exciting to stop and notice how tired I was.

We started the day off at the Louvre. We had a few hours to explore and see the exhibits, so of course a big group of us dash off to see the Mona Lisa first. But after that, I began to wander around on my own. The Louvre is such a wonderful place. It is amazing to see how so many people and artists have found inspiration in the simplest things. My favorite part of the Louvre was finding a little room, and being by myself for a few minutes with the art. Just looking at the art and taking it in for a moment can truly revive you.

After spending a few hours wandering about the museum and grapping lunch we headed towards Notre Dame. And we just happened to walk up when the bells were chiming with the mass processional. Walking into Notre Dame is just truly breathtaking. Colored light trapped within the cold stonewalls, dancing, as it passes through the mosaic windows, candles flickering to the rhythm of the organ, people whispering prayers to God. There is nothing more beautiful than the presence of God. And even though now in France there is no national religion and many cathedrals are not used for religious purposes, but more used as a sight-seeing tourism, it still moves my soul to know that at one point the bells would ring and the lights would flicker as people would come in worshipping the sovereign God. The inspiration and dedication that transgressed to build Notre Dame is inspiring, as well.

I stopped along the way at the Shakespeare & Company Bookstore, which is famously known for housing poets are writers like Ezra Pound and Ernest Hemingway. The bookstore was crammed with books. Every nook and cranny was filled with poetic words from those before us. This place took something as simple as a book and made it a mystery. The life in the bookstore made me believe that the version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice sitting on their shelf was much better than the one that I had read three times. The bookstore made it seem more historical, or romanticized. I’m not exactly sure what it was, but it made me want to sit there all day and read books that I would never dare to read on a normal basis. Everything was so perfectly placed and positioned, including the cat snuggled up in the armed chair. It was quaint.

Our day continued on to the lovers lock bridge. In Paris there is a tradition that if you put a lock on the bridge with your love and throw the key into the river, then your love will last forever. And as I walked by I saw the thousands of locks that filled the bridge. So many people had promised love and had been so moved by it that they had to have a physical representation of their everlasting promise. Locked away for eternity.

As the day continued on I walked up the Church on the Hill past the most charming merry-go-round and towards the art district where painters come near and far to showcase their prized possessions. I was taken back by the amount of talent sitting in one square, their art was truly breathtaking.

I finished my day hiking up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I thought the stairs would be a great idea and then I quickly realized that they were not. But I perservered and made it to the top to see the beautiful city that had shared so much of itself with me today.

I love how Paris and the people in it are moved by things around them. They find inspiration in the little things and make it into something beautiful. Whether I was sitting in a museum, bookstore, church or square the life and energy of Paris was dancing around me waiting for me to partake in the inspiration that so easily flows among its residents. Paris has a beautiful spirit about it that is unexplainable. And so it was while I was at the top of the Eiffel tower, breathing quite heavily due to the many flights of stairs, that I asked myself the question, “what inspires me?” For me, I have found that my main source of inspiration comes from intentional conversations. When I see people for who they are is when I begin to become inspired more and more. As humans, it is in our very nature to be inspired to action. So, I challenge you (my professor and the few readers of my blog) to take an introspective look and ask yourself how you are inspired. You don’t have to sit in a museum of famous artwork to become inspired. (Though I still recommend that you do that, because it is quite wonderful.)

Go seek your inspiration and let the rest unfold.

xoxo,

Claire Marie