Priceless
Of all the pictures I took in Paris, this is by far my favorite.
I was surrounded by at least 300 people, all jockeying for position to square up with the Mona Lisa. If it was an Idles concert I would have thought I was in a mosh pit, right before they came on stage and kicked into “The Wheel”.
Folks were in and out, pushing, edging in, keeping it civil, but still in a frenzy to snap that selfie. To get that proof. I was in that group too. I mean you don’t go to Paris for the first time and NOT see the Mona Lisa, right?
Once I got front and center, I put my phone in my pocket, crossed my arms, widened my stance, and stared at this priceless painting for at least two minutes, which at the time seemed like an eternity to myself, and I’m sure everyone waiting behind me.
While staring at each other, a heavy weight lifted from my head, then my shoulders, and throughout my entire body until I felt as I was floating in this moment of time. The chaos of the world melted away. What seemed important no longer mattered. What really mattered came front and center. It was a reminder of the present, my family I missed tremendously, overall a sign of the times.
It was in that moment I reached a level of clarity I hadn’t had in a long time.
As I came back down her smirk appeared on my face. I looked around on my way out, gave a nod to JC who was on the other end of the room turning water in to wine, and I knew I saw something 95% of the folks in the room had not.
I walked out of the museum, and called my brother who I hadn’t seen or spoken to in two years. He’s coming to see us this weekend. I went for a long walk and had deep conversations with a cousin who was living in Paris. We didn’t send pics to our parents to let them know. I built (hopefully) lifelong friendships with my study abroad cohort. I quit my super stressful job 3 days later.
I did grab a Mona Lisa postcard from the gift shop before leaving. I propped her up on my bookshelf that sits at the 9 o’clock position from my desk. I’ll make sure to look over and match that smirk a few times a day and let the stress of the day roll off my back.
Folks, whatever is happening in your life right now, always remember that you are priceless.
