My favorite day of the year is the first. Life is somehow reset and regardless of the good, bad or indifferent that found us in the days passed, there’s a lightness in the air, the promise of greatness ahead, a fresh start. This year, rather than make resolutions that only wait to be broken, I have chosen to live a life of intention.
I will continue to set goals and work towards them. Professionally speaking, my plans for Kasia Dietz handbags include more collaborations and private label projects, as well as collections of my own, inspired by life. I will also continue to write, mostly about Paris and travel, and to work on my book. As Elizabeth Gilbert would say, creativity chooses us and we must find a way to make peace with it. “A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life.” I couldn’t agree more!
Above all else however, this year and for all years to follow, my intention it to truly live in the moment. To let go of past insecurities and future fears, to live more with my heart and less with my head, and to appreciate this wild and wondrous journey as it happens. This too, I wish for you. Happy new year!
It’s that time of year to slow down and look up. To spend time with those most dear to us, reflect on the year coming to an end, and the one soon to start. The past year has been challenging both personally and globally, and I for one am looking forward to beginning a new one. But first, Christmas. My Italian and I are heading to Rome for a little pre-holiday celebration. I’m looking forward to rediscover this city that I haven’t visited in nearly 15 years. And who better to explore it with than my favorite travel companion! Join me on my adventures in Rome followed by the Italian Riviera, via Instagram and Facebook. Incidentally, I was recently named one of the 20 Paris Instagram Accounts to Follow by Bonjour Paris. I’m honored!
For a little year end news, here’s my holiday newsletter. I’ll be back in the new year sharing more of life and love in the City of Lights, and who knows where 2016 will find me. Thank you for joining me on this beautiful journey.
Wishing you and yours merry everything! Happy new year from the City of Lights!
Today is my favorite holiday, not because I’m terribly patriotic (though I do love my native country), or because of the copious amounts of decadent food and drink that will be ingested (that happens quite often in Paris), but by how Thanksgiving unites us and makes us reflect on what we are grateful for in this life.
Here in Paris we celebrate with a yearly feast hosted by a friend from the New York chapter, where new faces mingle with those who have made this a tradition. There’s even one Native American in the expat mix! We share the table with French, Italian, Irish and Australian, all of us taking this occasion to count our blessings. Isn’t it so commonly said that expressing gratitude leads to happiness and well-being? After six years in Paris, I certainly have a lot to be grateful for. Though life never ceases to challenge us both personally and globally, as events of the past few weeks have proven, we must savour every day. As goes the saying, carpe diem!
I wish for you, dear readers, a feast filled with peace and love. May you carry gratitude in your hearts, always.
Over a week has passed since the tragic events that shook Paris, and in turn the world. Life is slowly resuming while the mourning continues, as it shall for a long time to come. Winter has crept in and the city appears more quiet than normal, yet resilience and strength are felt in Parisians and expats alike. Life goes on, in strength.
Many are asking whether it’s safe to travel to this beautiful city, one of the most desirable destinations in the world. My answer is yes! We cannot let fear guide us. We must love Paris more than ever. Here are a few thoughts from fellow Americans, including myself, via Stylecaster.
I’ll be getting back to designing and writing this coming week, sharing what is uniquely beautiful about Paris, this city that so deeply inspires my senses. Thank you for following along on this journey, and for all your continued thoughts. Paris je t’aime.
Fluctuat nec mergitur. “Though beaten by the waves, she never sinks.”
I’m finding it difficult to articulate my thoughts of the past 48 hours. My beloved Paris, a city adored by all, attacked, so many innocent lives lost. And for what? For enjoying life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. My Italian and I live in the North Marais, bordering the 10th and 11th arrondissements, steps away from Place de la Republique. On many evenings we are carousing these sames streets where the attacks occurred, where many were not as lucky as us. Glued to the news at home, we could barely believe the events as they unfolded all around us, sirens in the distance making it all the more real. My heart aches for the families and friends of the victims, for the lives so suddenly cut short. I was immediately reminded of the Charlie Hebdo attacks earlier in the year. Again? The shock and despair I feel, that many of us feel, is all too similar to 911 in New York, an attack not just on a city, but on the entire world.
On Saturday, rather than stay home and allow the media to feed our fear, we walked to the sites of the attacks, in thought of the victims and in support of our adopted city. My eyes filled with tears as we passed the cafes with terraces once brimming with locals; now only bullet holes remained. The gate was down at Le Petit Cambodge. Flowers and candles lined the streets, people of all ages gathered around to pay homage. Suddenly it became all too devastatingly real. That evening we spent with friends from the neighborhood, all of us grateful not to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Chance.
The sun shone brightly on Sunday and again we took to the streets. As we often do on mild fall weekends, we biked to the Seine and rode the length of the river past Hôtel de Ville and our favorite haunts in Ile Saint-Louis until we reached Musée d’Orsay. Museums and markets remained closed, but all around us life was being lived. Parisians mingled at neighborhood cafes, children ran around the riverbanks, tourists queued to view Paris by boat, we even caught a glimpse of a token bride and groom. Love for the city was felt around every corner.
Since 911 my affection for New York grew deeper, it became a city that will forever remain in my heart. Now too, I feel more bonded to Paris, much the way I do to a loved one whose well-being is of paramount importance to me. This is perhaps the most sane way to survive such terror, by expressing profound love and cherishing the life we have been given. Every. Single. Day.
As the sun set and we made our way back home, I thought about the official Paris Motto since the Middle Ages, now again relevant, Fluctuat Nec Mergitur, Though beaten by the waves, she never sinks. Stay strong Paris!
Today marks 6 years since I moved to Paris. How time flies while living la vie Parisienne! It’s not all croissants and strolls on the Seine as one might believe, life in the city of lights does have it’s challenging moments, but I’ll save that for another post. Really, I can’t complain. I am surrounded by love in the form of an Italian and dear friends, and each day holds with it limitless inspiration, it’s just a matter of finding it. This time I found it at the top.
I’ve wanted to ride La Grande Roue, Paris’ Ferris Wheel, for years. Imagine the views!
Recently, while a friend was visiting and I was playing tour guide, I grabbed the chance.
Up, up, up we climbed… from four floor buildings to vistas overlooking Paris.
I felt like a child, my eyes wide with amazement as I took in the sights from both sides.
I could have spent all afternoon at the top, with a perfect view of Sacré-Cœur Basilica.
But alas, our time was up and we returned to views from below. Not so bad either.
