J'ai décidé d'être heureux parce que c'est bon pour la santé.

I decided to be happy because it's good for my health (Voltaire, France, 1767)

Django Reinhardt -I'll See You In My Dreams

      This is the quotation that I like the most. Quoted by Voltaire, French philosopher and writer. There are many great quotations in America, but as there are a bit too many, it's hard to choose one among them. 

     Last January, I went to Paris after I've been away for four months. While I was living in Paris, I always knew I’d miss Paris whenever I'll be away from it, and I was totally right. I began to regret deeply without saying anything to anyone, 'zut, j'aurais pas dû partir...' I have everything here, EVERYTHING.

     During two weeks, I was busy with meeting my lawyer, accountant, tax, retirement, social security, and appointments with bank. I felt vividly alive doing the stuff that I used to do everyday. One afternoon, luckily, I had a few hours free from work. So, I decided to go walk by the Seine. It was one of my favorite spot during my fifteen years in Paris. One of the reasons I love to go there was I can go there alone whenever I want, and usually it was even better to go there alone. Watching people by the Seine was a real pleasure: lovers, painters, tourists, and jazz players make the place unique and special. Listening music and reading new book near the river used to be a luxury habit for me in the middle of the busy day. 

    I wanted to memorize the place in detail, so I looked around and see everything around it carefully. It was unusual for me to hang around streets in Paris without hurrying or having any plan; I had to rush all the time. It was a little strange in a way that I felt like I was strolling in Paris like a tourist! 

      Then window displays of a papiterie in Île Saint-Louis stopped me. There was a white cotton bag that has a quotation on it, “J'ai décidé d'être heureux parce que c'est bon pour la santé. Voltaire”

    Quoi? C’est vrai mais… Huh, that’s...right. I liked it. It struck me right away. I stayed there for a while watching the bag, and reading the quotation again and again. How curious it was that I haven’t seen the quotation before, even though I lived in France for a quite long time! I stepped into the shop by curiosity. 
    The tiny shop actually had many gadgets, which were all about writing: pen, diary, hand made note book, letter shit, post card and some authentic gift items for tourist. A late middle-aged owner welcomed me with warm smile behind his computer. The delicate scent of papers and warmhearted atmosphere activated my impulsive buying. OK, this is the place. I gave myself a reason that I needed to buy some gifts to my new acquaintances in New York anyway. It made sense. There, as a perfect tourist, I began to pick out Eiffel Tower key holders, Little Prince pens, diaries, stickers, and trinkets, which I’ve never paid attention while I was living in Paris. I went through my roommate, classmates, teachers, neighbors.  I took a couple more pad of papers and bookmarks for those who know me went to Paris. I tried to recall everyone, and guessed what should I buy to make them happy. 

    Thinking about the new friends and choosing trinkets made me smile. They've listened to me whenever I needed to talk, helped me to clear my vision, and supported me. Suddenly, the idea of going back to New York excited me, moreover buying trickets did make me happy! I was unhappy about the fact I was far from everything good and I got nothing over there, but wait a minute, I got new friends! I was going to meet them again and share what had happened in Paris with a small gifts!

    Oh, the bag? I didn't buy it. I got the message from the bag, and the owner of the shop seemed already happy enough for my buying. It's good for your health, let's be happy!