Friday

“How we spend our moments is how we spend our lives”

I read a lot these days about living in the moment and about meditation. But I see nothing of it out there in day to day living.  I watch people on holiday, tourists in museums. They run through museums and destinations looking at their camera screens without really seeing the beautiful art right in front of them.  I wish I could tell them to sit down in front of just one work of art and really look at it. See the lines, the colours and the meaning behind the painting . Do it once and that artwork will go with you for life. You will never run through a museum in an hour again.

I am not one for meditation. I do not know how. But to sit down and draw something really means to sit and to really see the detail, see the beauty andwhether it is a flower or a big cathedral it still needs to be “seen” .

My other passion is walking. The rhythm is like meditation. It is a great way of thinking through my day or even a creative process . But whatever you do, live the moment. Live now. The past is gone, don’t dwell on it.The future will bring its own surprises. But this moment will never be again.

We spent the day with our godchildren at Parc la Villette, a park at the Science museum with huge gardens for young and old to play.

After lunch we returned by boat via canals to the port just below the Bastille Opera. A beautiful scenic route through several locks as the river level drops by about 23 meters. These canals used to be for industrial transport of goods, but today other means of transportation is mostly used. The last kilometer or more the canal runs underground. The basin next to the Seine is picturesque as well.

Along the way, that takes two and a half hours is beautiful old buildings, but some fine modern architecture as well.

One also realizes that not all paintings are in canvas.

I ended my day with a wonderful piano recital. Bach’s English suite no. 2, Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata, the wonderful Satie and exuberant Liszt. Pianist Elio di Tanna.

The city was getting ready for night life as I wandered home.

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