"I’m listening, Paris. To the waves in your river. To the wind by the canal. To the past-midnight steps my boat shoes drag. To the growing space between the last kiss and the next. I’m listening to the silence that is trying to heal the banging noises in my head - the literal ones too..."

(Read the full text on imaginedparis.com)

"I’ve been feeling light and reassured – my trust in myself playing a big part, I haven’t had time to question the ideologies and if they are aligned – alright, maybe I shouldn’t trust myself that much. Is this how capitalism creeps into our lives? No, capitalism fills us with anxiety and insecurity that motivate us blindly. This is something else – a religion? No, religions also fill us with anxiety and insecurity that motivate us blindly...."

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"Wait – how could I even call anything a problem if I keep maintaining this feeling good and satisfied and free and in love in the first place? Because people and things exist outside your mind, dear? They challenge your inner peace; they block the flow of your inner river from time to time. So, anyone and anything outside of me is the problem? No, a problem isn’t a mismatch between what is and what you want it to be; a problem is a misalignment between what is and how good you feel about it...."

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"A subtle kind of touch yet constant, which creates these capillary waves inside my heart, has happened; an interaction with the wind, the subtle yet constant wind, has happened. No splash as when a rock is thrown like a punch, which my heart was used to; this is a dance, ou bien a kiss, between water and air. I’m not talking about astrology here – or am I? Venus in Scorpio here – does that explain how I romance...."

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"Now, what do I perceive as negative? Is it other people’s sadness, instinctive fears, or guilt? No, I do not see honest and pure introspective emotions as negative, I don’t even see heartbreaks as negative – I’m an expert by this point. Everything that brings, potentially or eventually, someone inward and closer to understanding themselves, and, eventually, understanding others, or vice versa, is good in my book...."

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"I have been peeling the layers, shedding the skins a lot more aggressively these days and my discernment is a lot more on point too. Changes have been happening quicker and instead of seeing it as instability I can’t help but recognise it as momentums being gained..."

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"I’m sure you do. And I will always try to understand when you can’t show that you do. Come to think about it, my principles and philosophy are the things that often cause me a heartbreak. But might as well, as they’re also the very things that put me back together again. Stronger, even softer, that my heart does not break that much or take too long to mend these days...."

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"What about love? Love is my given state, my default setting, even if he didn’t effortlessly make my fussy self quite so easily agree to say yes to one of my least preferred foods galette. But he did, and it turned out to be one of the most ravishingly enjoyable meal I have ever had in my life! It was at Ar Poul Gwen, a few-minute walk from Gare du Nord. Love is my given state, my default setting, even if I had to sit at the Eurostar lounge drinking crémant on my own as usual last night. But I didn’t, and tant mieux !"

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"I sometimes wonder how many can take you, the full depth and breadth of you, like I can. I sometimes wonder how many, if anyone, can take me, the full depth and breadth of me, my undeniable, demanding presence, like you can. I wonder if I can take anyone, their full depth and breadth, without stealing their freedom, without wanting them to give up what they’re not ready to give. Without losing my softness in the process...."

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"In fact, I’d love to learn to drop my ego even more, if that’s possible – that’s possible, and if that means more truths will be revealed and eventually accepted. My power is in my ability to stay soft in the face of difficulties. I care more about balance, and this could be the reason why the pain might not be all that good, or even necessary, for me. We’ll see...."

(Read the full text on imaginedparis.com)