Hier

I've always been a fan of birthdays. What a wonderful occasion it is to celebrate someone you love on an otherwise ordinary day. What a wonderful occasion, too, to reflect on another year well-lived. Yesterday, I reveled in my own in Paris, for the second time: a healthful lunch at Préface, cookie and coffee at Loustic, souvenir-shopping at Merci, and finally, drinks (and frites) at Le Perchoir. It was a calm city day with confidents I adore; so unlike previous ones at vineyards/beaches/my parent's backyard, but just as sweet.
Last year, I all but freaked out about turning 25 (the same age my mom was when she had me). I was stressed about finishing my last few grad school courses, starting an internship in a foreign country, and figuring out the formula to successfully putting down roots, embarking on a satisfying career, falling in love forever, and, starting a family of my own, too. Silly, silly girl, I am. Not one of those worries occurred to me yesterday (and not just because I've just graduated). In the time and space between 25 and 26, I've gained a whole new perspective. As Jamie Varon wrote, "what’s most important is who we are, not what we are; how we lived, not what we did." And it's unbelievable how enough we are already. Now, as each day brings me closer to the big 2-7, I resolve to continue to work hard and be kind, celebrate often and appreciate always. I will probably never stop being sentimental nor nostalgic, but gosh, how happy I am to have the chance to nurture relationships with friends and family I endlessly love and admire from near and far. Fin. I'll be putting the finishing touches on this Parisian chapter in these next few days and then it's back home for this "danielle abroad." Not for long though. Little by little, things do fall into place, and soon after arriving in New York, I will relocate across the country for an organization I'm preemptively honored to be a part of. Funny how that works. Please stay tuned, again :).