Another day of adjusting and settling! Jet lag wasn't too bad, and I woke up at 1:30pm feeling rested and giddy. As I was finding a suitable place for my longtime travel and adventure companion, the Beats Pill XL Speaker (iykyk), the universe sent me a fun little welcome package. I was taking a brief moment for myself to stare out the window, because how could I not. I knew right away I would never get tired of the view, and that the day I have to leave this place will be a sad one. Without thinking, I glanced to my left, and there’s a book sitting on the middle shelf of the bookcase. It was so picture-perfectly placed in my line of vision, with the sunlight making it stand out among the other items. This book, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, happens to be a book that I have had many conversations about, despite the fact that I'd only read an in-depth summary of it. I never did get my hands on it, but here it was, waiting patiently for me in this random woman's apartment that I happened to find through a newsletter. I started reading it last night, so I’ll share my takeaways and thoughts another time!

When I finally made it out of the house, I tried to let myself wander off, pretending not to mind the heavy rain. I walked around aimlessly, taking last minute turns and occasionally just following the cool-looking crowd. I stopped in a few shops along the way, opting for congee and a chocolate canele from Bing Sutt for an early dinner, and a black sesame pain au chocolat from Petite Île Boulangerie. Yum! Then, the rain began to intrude on my inner peace and comfort, and I decided it was time to go home. I nervously checked my map, wondering if my promenade had taken me somewhere far, far away. Nope, I was literally one block away from my apartment. All I did was a big loop de loop that brought me back to my starting point. I laughed with and at myself, realizing just how directionally unaware I was, and how much there really was to learn and explore about my neighborhood. This was actually great news, because I was desperate to get to dry and heated land. I finished the night with some bread and butter, with a side of cherry tomatoes from the fresh fruit market in a sad attempt to balance my meal and diet. Nutrition and vegetables are a concern for another day.