I’ve arrived in Paris! On a cloudy, drizzly day like today it’s hard to believe this is the City of Light, but this beautiful city wears the rain like a woman dressed in black carrying a bright red umbrella.

View from the Musee d’Orsay

“It should be raining,” I think and smile as I finish eating my baguette. I’ve been clutching my lunch under my arm, waiting for the perfect spot to enjoy my sandwich and apple that I purchased all by myself in stuttering French. “Zhuh voo-dreh…je voudrais une baguette.” I practice this phrase over and over walking down the street, sitting in the metro. My lips don’t know how to properly form these words and when I order my sandwich it comes out all wrong, but today it doesn’t matter. Today it is my birthday and I am sitting in the rain overlooking the Seine and eating a french baguette in Paris. I am so happy I might pull a Gene Kelly and start dancing in the street.

I almost feel guilty about how happy I am but I know this is a moment to savor for those days when happiness feels like an elusive trick of the heart. As Elizabeth Gilbert says, “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings.” Today I am reveling in Life’s blessings, celebrating another year lived fully present, and eating macaroons in the rain. I hope wherever you are, you are also experiencing joy and love today.