..butterflies..

The book that inspired the post

A few days ago, the book "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" was gifted to me. And it was such a sweet surprise that I could not resist reading it. Within two days I finished it!

In it, I read the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby who at some point was the editor in chief of the French magazine, Elle. In June 1995, he suffered a stroke. Thanks to this, Bauby was trapped by locked-in syndrome and became a mute quadriplegic. I think his condition is what gives significance to the diving bell reference.

But what is the significance of the butterfly?

The prologue reveals that "my diving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly." My interpretation is that butterflies represent freedom.

The story is notorious because Bauby was able to share with the world his story while being in a state of physical captivity. The essence of Bauby's story has surprised a great deal of people. Many admire his mental tenacity. Others celebrate his spirit. The cover of the book alerts us that this is the “testament of a man who refused to die in spirit."

Over the years, the story has been highly acclaimed. In 2007, it was adapted into a movie. The film was recognized in several film festivals.

It is striking that thanks to Bauby, we came to know the unknown with respect to a person under the effects of locked-in syndrome.

I was struck by the bright mind of Bauby. It is impressive that he managed to convey to the world his experiences despite his condition. But, I admit that as I read the story, I was captivated by another aspect of the book.

The story was transcribed letter by letter! During the course of the book, we find that Bauby only has the ability to partially move his head and blink his left eye. Then, an editor would dictate a frequency-ordered alphabet and Bauby would blink to indicate the appropriate letter.

So, while many celebrate Bauby, I choose to celebrate the editor who transcribed the story, Claude Mendibil.

I'm surprised that very little is spoken of her. But without her there is no story. Without her we could not appreciate the nuances in such an inspiring story.

I could say that the person who gifted me the book represents a Claude in my life.. This person moved me to write. Inspired my mind to take flight. Gifted me butterflies.

And this made me think that if our lives are books and stories to be told, then we rely on people to somehow inspire and act as composers of our experiences.

Maybe you're nothing like Bauby and you can fend for yourself, but who are the people of whom you can say without them there is no story to tell? And as you think of them, do not resist the urge to express them your appreciation.

Traveling against traffic..

It doesn't take long when living or visiting Houston, TX to realize that there are two common themes that reemerge in every and any conversation here: 1) weather; and 2) traffic!

Houston, TX traffic.. photo credit to Clau.. 

Personally, I tend to avoid the topic of weather because I once heard that when people have nothing to talk about they will default to talking about weather.. But, surely enough there are always those momentary lapses of interactions when in order to fill the silence, even I will interject with some comment about the weather! 

However, out of these two recurring themes (weather vs. traffic), by far my favorite is traffic! Perhaps it's because there's so much human nature intrinsically involved that it results fascinating to me.

I recently resettled into Houston after a season of living in Paris, France. One of the perks of the European lifestyle is the the accessibility to public transportation which eliminates the need to drive everywhere. While this may be a perk in Europe, it appears to be a luxury in Houston! In this city, when we speak of traffic we automatically complain about the lack of public transportation options...

But as I was looking for a place to call home in Houston, I was heavily considering what type of commute I wanted to have. The choices were driving long vs. shorter distance, major highway vs. small local streets, large freeways vs. smaller toll roads.

Once I moved into my new home and began my commute, I tried different routes to go back and forth between my apartment and work each day. It took me a week and a half to fully accept that the best thing to do was pay for an EZ Pass. I realized that adding the sum of daily tolls to my monthly budget is a smart investment. After all, a friend wisely reminded me that I am better off reducing my commuting time because time is money!

Anyways, every day I wake up, get ready for work, and lo' and behold I must drive on the bustling roads of the fourth largest city in the U.S.!

As traffic has grown to occupy a special place in my overall life, I recently remembered how people like to talk about how much better it is to have a commute that allows you to drive against traffic to and from work... I mean, lets just face it! driving during rush hour is one of the most mundane things on this planet.

Recently, as I anxiously rushed to get to work on time, I realized exactly what traveling against traffic meant! While my side of the road was congested and cars were standing still, the road on the other side was so desolate! and obviously, I immediately wished I was driving on THAT side!

My epiphany at that moment was that driving against traffic means nothing more than to travel on the least travelled road! In other words, while everyone is rushing to travel on the biggest and most congested roads, you chose to cruise on the lonely (and sometimes smaller) streets.

Yet as I meditated on this, I quickly realized that the key to a better commute is not just the road itself. The key to an enjoyable journey is also where you set your destination.

You see, my way to work will continue to be crowded and congested simply because my place of employment is located in the Uptown area which is the second largest business district throughout Houston. Because of this, it is nearly impossible to avoid traffic when traveling in and out of this area. This is my destination each and every weekday morning. I can alter my route, but traffic will never be extinct!

But, what if the destination was set opposite to the most congested and populated area in a city? Then you can rest assured that anytime you travel to this destination, you will NOT encounter a herd of drivers.

As I sat in traffic that morning and dreamed about the sweetness of a better commute, I could not help but think that there may be many different paths to reach any ambition; yet, we must decide what we want our destination to be in order to chose a path wisely.

After my epiphany that morning while seating in traffic, I was reminded of Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV), where we read the following:

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

As I reviewed the passage, my conclusion was the following: we must chose the destination, for it is the destination which dictates the path!

So, regardless where you are in life, I encourage you to decide where you want to go (professionally, spiritually, emotionally, etc). And I assure you that the path will become clear to you.

Perfect destination + less travelled road = Best journey of a lifetime!.. and eternity! 

..how I met my neighbor (2/2)..

My neighbor..

I arrived in Paris on Wednesday, February 4^th. Plane landed at 8:43 AM and it took a little under an hour before I was walking out of the sliding glass doors and headed to a taxi..

It was a particularly stale, cloudy winter day. But in my eyes it was filled with glitzy excitement, after all it was my FIRST day in Paris!

I reached my apartment at about 11:00 AM. I met the guardian of the building. Then, climbing the stairs to my apartment in the 6^th floor proved to be an adventure. There is no elevator and lets just say I had half a year’s worth of luggage to carry!

Once I reached the top and got settled, I surveyed the place, which didn’t take long since it measures 20m²! I knew that if I wanted to beat the jet lag, I should just keep busy and stay awake. So, I started un-packing.

Soon I realized it didn’t take long to unpack 2.5 full-size suitcases plus a few smaller bags, and at about 5:00 PM I felt an unbeatable urge to nap! I wanted to reconcile my restlessness with sleep since I was not able to get any shuteye on the redeye flight.

I woke up at 8:00 PM with my stomach viciously growling because I had not had a proper meal for the past 12 hours! I decided to locate the nearest supermarket and get some basic groceries after taking some time to update my family back in the States. After I finished reliving the day with the family, I descended to the unfamiliar streets.

After retracing my steps backwards from the supermarket, I reached my building at about 9:10 PM with two bags of groceries. I was able to use the entry code and successfully opened the first door. This got me as far as the lobby. Next, I came to a second set of doors but much to my surprise, it was locked.

I reached in my purse and pulled out the key chain the guardian had turned over to me earlier. I had 1 skeleton key and it did not fit in the keyhole. Since I had no clue how to unlock the door, I was stuck.

Suddenly I realized I was alone in a city filled with strangers! I had no one to call and no idea where to go. I was stranded in the lobby for 35 minutes, which felt like a lifetime! By this point I was starving because due to my overwhelming indecision I had not settled on something to eat.

By 9:45ish PM, I resorted to praying that someone comes in or out of the building. I was really praying for a miracle! In my imagination, I had already pictured me spending my first night in Paris in the lobby of my new residence! For all I knew it was the middle of the week and people work and kids go to school and they had no business being out-and-about at that time of night on a weeknight.

My prayers were finally answered when at about 9:47ish PM this tall stranger guy comes out. It took less than a second before I could politely, yet desperately, ask: “Excuse me, how do I open the door..”

Much to my surprise his first response was: “You must be the new American. I told the guardian to let me know if you needed help with anything…”

As I think back to that first day I met my neighbor, I repeatedly thank God because he knew exactly the type of friend I needed while living in Paris. The type of friend who would..

My neighbor and I..
The royal goodbye party! 

..show me how to open the door, have dinner with me on my first night in Paris when I desperately needed company, get up early and walk me to work on my first day, teach me French, accompany me to the metro station over and over and over again, listen to me complain about… (you know), trust me to listen to your business ideas, help me decorate my place, fix stuff, let me borrow things, help me carry my groceries, watch TV with me, run up six flights of stair when I forget the tickets to the party.. thank you..

..how I met my neighbor (1/2)..

My neighbor..
On the way back from shopping for
decorations for my apartment

In my lifetime I have met a lot of people from all over the world. I’ve loved a lot of friends. Yet there are a particular many that I would leap at the thought of reciprocity for the favor they have shown to me. My neighbor rounds out that list. Here’s why…

On Wednesday, May 4^th I had a plane to catch at 9:55 PM. I was bound to Pisa, Italy departing from a little airport on the outskirts of Paris. I had to be at the bus station Port de Maillot in Paris at 6:55 PM in order to catch a bus to transport me to the airport.

Well, as it turns out, work had been intensely busy and I did not shutdown my laptop until 6:20 PM. I rushed out of the office, got on a train, and reached my apartment at 6:50 PM. At this point it was obvious I was going to be late to the bus station.

Not only was I worried to miss the bus because I would be late, but I also didn’t precisely know where to catch the bus. At about 7:05 PM much to my saving grace, my neighbor volunteered to escort me to the bus stop and help me find my way. We left the apartment at 7:20ish PM.

We arrived at the bus stop at 8:10 PM, which still seemed reasonably early to get to the airport in time. Except this is France, and well things don’t exactly move at a reasonable pace (but that’s a whole different story). Anyways… My neighbor convinced the attendant AND bus driver to let me board the bus that was ALREADY pulling out of the station.

I was on pins and needles the whole way to the airport, which was about 1:20 transit time. I reached the airport at 9:35ish PM, and because the plane’s departure was at 9:55 PM, I was not allowed to board. I was almost outraged, except that on this particular night all I could think was I would not have made it so close if it weren’t for my neighbor!

So, if it was not obvious to me before, it became evident that day that my neighbor is the type of person who inconveniences himself for the sake of helping me. Although, this should not have surprised me because on the very first day we met he said…

A Monumental Reminder

Flame of Liberty at Place de L'Alma

The City of Light is home to lavish architecture, rich history, inspiring art, and delicious gastronomy and I am fortunate enough to call this place home for the time being. But, just like with any cross-cultural transition in life, this move came with some challenging bits.

Work relocated me to Paris, France less than a month ago. While I live adjacent to Avenue Des Champs-Elysees, each day I travel to work to a building located immediately south of the Seine crossing Pont de l’Alma. My commute is easily traveled by foot in approximately 20 minutes although on occasions I chose to travel by metro in order to avoid the rain.

Regardless of the mode of transportation I chose, each day I find myself awestruck while gazing at the view of the Eiffel Tower in the short horizon and admiring the golden Flame of Liberty. In my morning routine, this picture never seizes to amaze me.

But, I must admit that the amazing bliss turns dull as the day progresses when I find myself listening to everyone speak French around me. The romantic language I once loved so dearly has turned into the cause of exhausting frustration. My inability to fluently understand the language burdens me. Even worse is the perception that Parisians don’t care to facilitate communication. I am haunted by the perception that they have little interest to speak English.

I must admit that the communication impasse started to rob me of the joy of connecting with people. Quite honestly, my desire to develop new relationships was diminishing.

However, a few days ago as I finally decided to investigate the significance of flame featured in my favorite morning view.  Much to my surprise, I learned that this flame is a replica of the flame held by the Statue of Liberty which graces the Hudson River in New York and it was given as a gift to France by the United States.

The base of the monument reads as follows: "The Flame of Liberty. An exact replica of the Statue of Liberty's flame offered to the people of France by donors throughout the world as a symbol of the Franco-American friendship. On the occasion of the centennial of the International Herald Tribune. Paris 1887-1987."

I discovered that the International Herald Tribune celebration was due to the fact that the publication had been printed daily in Paris in the English language. Additionally, I learned that the Flame of Liberty represents a token of appreciation for restoration work performed on the Statue of Liberty by France. 

Since I was starting to recent the disregard by the French to speak English in certain situations, this historical fact enlightened me. It served as a dismissal of the negative thoughts escalating in my mind.

Suddenly I was reminded that my greatest asset is to build lasting relationships and that it is no coincidence that I am in a place where relationships are deeply cherished.

Moreover, regardless of how much French I will not understand throughout the day, or how little English I will hear from my counterparts, looking at the Flame of Liberty each morning reminds me that the Franco-American relationship has an enduring legacy of appreciation. And just like that each morning I am inspired to continue to build a positive space which closes cultural gaps.