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Ah, love in the afternoon...and I'm not talking about the 1957 movie set in Paris with Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper. I'm also not talking about the passionate and starry-eyed kind of love between two people. I'm talking about the pure and simple love of life. My sentiment is that our English language genuinely could use at least 150 more words for the countless definitions around the word love. For instance, there's the obvious lovers love, but there's also a love for one's family, or love for a pet or love for the gorgeous sunny weather today. I wonder why our English language is so limited around the nearly endless meanings related to that precious and overused word? We experience love in so many ways, and on so many different levels. Do you ever notice that those who genuinely embrace and love life, that life genuinely embraces and loves them back? In fact that very thought is epitomized in a very interesting French film I saw recently, titled Paris Ja T'aime. The movie tells several different stories about the various forms of love, such as between a mother and her son, or two ex lovers, or between friends. But I found the most memorable story in the movie was about a single American woman who vacationed alone in Paris. Her first experiences were that of loneliness, where everywhere she went, all she saw were people in love. She wished that she could share her all of new experiences with her own lover as well. One afternoon while she was sitting alone on a bench in a lovely Parisian park, she had a very significant epiphany. She was enjoying and admiring all of the sights and sounds of the activities and people around her. In that moment, she realized that in all of her loneliness, she had been ignorant and missed a very crucial and obvious love that had been there all along; that she had fallen in love with Paris, ...and Paris had fallen in love with her.
About Wooden Nickel
- Gretchen
- Hmmm...life, images, observation, some inspiration ...and a little humor.
Tuesday
Love in the Afternoon
I'm posting this story that I wrote back in the first week of launching my blog. It's one of my favorites with a flavor of inspiration. I didn't have many readers at the time, so I'm sharing it again...
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Ah, love in the afternoon...and I'm not talking about the 1957 movie set in Paris with Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper. I'm also not talking about the passionate and starry-eyed kind of love between two people. I'm talking about the pure and simple love of life. My sentiment is that our English language genuinely could use at least 150 more words for the countless definitions around the word love. For instance, there's the obvious lovers love, but there's also a love for one's family, or love for a pet or love for the gorgeous sunny weather today. I wonder why our English language is so limited around the nearly endless meanings related to that precious and overused word? We experience love in so many ways, and on so many different levels. Do you ever notice that those who genuinely embrace and love life, that life genuinely embraces and loves them back? In fact that very thought is epitomized in a very interesting French film I saw recently, titled Paris Ja T'aime. The movie tells several different stories about the various forms of love, such as between a mother and her son, or two ex lovers, or between friends. But I found the most memorable story in the movie was about a single American woman who vacationed alone in Paris. Her first experiences were that of loneliness, where everywhere she went, all she saw were people in love. She wished that she could share her all of new experiences with her own lover as well. One afternoon while she was sitting alone on a bench in a lovely Parisian park, she had a very significant epiphany. She was enjoying and admiring all of the sights and sounds of the activities and people around her. In that moment, she realized that in all of her loneliness, she had been ignorant and missed a very crucial and obvious love that had been there all along; that she had fallen in love with Paris, ...and Paris had fallen in love with her.
Ah, love in the afternoon...and I'm not talking about the 1957 movie set in Paris with Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper. I'm also not talking about the passionate and starry-eyed kind of love between two people. I'm talking about the pure and simple love of life. My sentiment is that our English language genuinely could use at least 150 more words for the countless definitions around the word love. For instance, there's the obvious lovers love, but there's also a love for one's family, or love for a pet or love for the gorgeous sunny weather today. I wonder why our English language is so limited around the nearly endless meanings related to that precious and overused word? We experience love in so many ways, and on so many different levels. Do you ever notice that those who genuinely embrace and love life, that life genuinely embraces and loves them back? In fact that very thought is epitomized in a very interesting French film I saw recently, titled Paris Ja T'aime. The movie tells several different stories about the various forms of love, such as between a mother and her son, or two ex lovers, or between friends. But I found the most memorable story in the movie was about a single American woman who vacationed alone in Paris. Her first experiences were that of loneliness, where everywhere she went, all she saw were people in love. She wished that she could share her all of new experiences with her own lover as well. One afternoon while she was sitting alone on a bench in a lovely Parisian park, she had a very significant epiphany. She was enjoying and admiring all of the sights and sounds of the activities and people around her. In that moment, she realized that in all of her loneliness, she had been ignorant and missed a very crucial and obvious love that had been there all along; that she had fallen in love with Paris, ...and Paris had fallen in love with her.
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7 comments:
Ah, Paris. I wish I could go there someday.
Beautiful description of the woman at the end. I wonder if indeed people just don't think very much anymore. It is hard to contemplate what love means if we allow ourselves to be bogged down by so many external forces. Even sitting quietly seems selfish...we need to get things done! Understanding the meaning of Love takes focus, thought, intention, introspection. Good things to think about...Thanks Gretchen. Holly at lifelaughlatte.blogspot.com
I think some things you learn as you age. When we are young, we are so busy trying to find love, to find someone...that taking time to "smell the roses" doesn't seem important. As we become wiser, we realize just how precious the quiet moments are. We realize that life doesn't have to be exciting for us to love it...sometimes exciting isn't all that great. Your post sends an excellent message.
Sue
Wonderful post... I saw that movie not long ago and really liked it, though I thought it was funny listening to Nick Nolte speaking French
Oh I just loved that movie! Saw it way back and still remember some of them so vividly. I was touched by the story of the parents of the dead little boy but the one of the mom that leaves her own baby and goes to look after the rich baby touched me deeply.
But yes, I am still deeply in love with Paris itself.
You truly cannot visit Paris and not experience love.
Je t'aime Paris aussi.
I was born in raised in England (now in the USA) and therefore it was fairly easy and inexpenisve to go to Paris. It was love at first sight for me and I cannot wait for my little girl to grow up and take her there.
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