Un soupir

Occasionally in life there are moments of perfect contentment. It's as if for a brief second, time is suspended. Everything is as it should be and I'm at peace. Words can't capture the beauty of moments like these. For me, the only thing that can express them perfectly is "un soupir"---a sigh.

This afternoon can only be described as one, deep, contented sigh. At about 4 o'clock, I set off to explore Nice. My goal was to get a ticket for the opera tomorrow night, which unfortunately was unsuccessful. Found the opera but couldn't find a ticket office. Since my initial plans had been foiled, I decide to wander about Nice and get to know my new home a bit better. I spent some time roaming the small streets of "Old Nice" and then started to stroll along the Promenade. I caught a glimpse of some tourists headed up the stairs to the Parc de la Colline du Chateau, the fancy way of saying the parc of the hill of the chateau, and decided it was time to get some exercise. I climbed the stairs to the top of the hill and wandered through the park. Of course the weather was gorgeous, about 85 degrees with an ocean breeze, the views were spectacular and I found myself in Nice, France. Basically, it was one of those times when life catches you by surprise and completely takes your breath away. Like I said, it can't be put to words. All I could do was smile and I'm sure everyone I passed thought that I was completely crazy! C'est la vie!

Luckily, this lasted for about two hours and tonight I'm still basking in the glow of a moment that tasted of perfection. Moments that warrant a deep sigh don't seem to occur often, and they alwasy seem to come when least expected. Which only adds to their beauty.

I truly feel so blessed for the opportunities I've been granted up to this point in my life. I hope to make the most of all of them and pave the way for more to come! And now, before I wax too philosophical, I'll close this entry. But I'm concluding with a sigh.