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VIDEO: Of Gratitude and Subway; Zoë in Paris

Hello world-

First of all, let me wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Can you believe November is almost over? Truly, it feels like my weeks are flying by! December will be here in a few short days, and before we know it, the entire holiday season will be finished! Wow!

This evening, I had the opportunity to spend some time with two American friends here in Paris, sharing a not-so-traditional Thanksgiving meal, Subway and crêpes with Nutella. In any event, it was a wonderful occasion to simply enjoy one another’s company.

Sitting on the métro on the way home, I began to reflect about this Thanksgiving…and those in years past. This is my third Thanksgiving away from home, my third Thanksgiving abroad…and thinking back to that very first one in my little dorm room in London, I can’t help but to feel, yep, thankful…for how much I’ve been so blessed to experience over the course of the last several years.

I remember so clearly Thanksgiving 2007, sitting alone in my little room at Wigram House, tearfully phoning home and recording a little video blog about missing my family. How painful it was to hear the voices of my siblings, telling me how much they wished I was celebrating Thanksgiving with them…and oh, how much I missed the gravy and mashed potatoes!

I actually ate a traditional Thanksgiving meal last year in Paris, a photo of which I’m including for your enjoyment. No, it was far from scrumptious…but it was at least something that resembled Thanksgiving. It was eaten with a bunch of students from my university, in an incredibly busy American restaurant here in Paris, where it seemed that nearly every American in the city had descended to seek our their pumpkin pie and turkey gravy!

And this year, it was Subway and crêpes, as I already mentioned…yet somehow, that Subway and crêpe dinner represents so much more than I could ever hope to be able to explain in flowery words. That dinner, full of laughter and smiles…it’s so perfectly symbolizes the entire principle of “Thanksgiving.”

The boy who moved to London two years ago is not someone I know. It’s surreal, because I remember…and yet, I don’t truly remember. A true paradox perhaps, but in a way, it is simply the reality. I remember who that boy was, and I remember the sentiments he felt…but I don’t feel like that boy is me. He is someone I knew really well…but someone who faded away a long time ago.

I was thinking tonight about my upcoming departure for the States, as I shall soon be back in the arms of my family, opening gifts under the tree, and singing Christmas carols by the fire. It will all be taking place in less than three weeks, which truly boggles my little brain.

My path this spring in the educational sense is still very up in the air, as I’m faced with the incredible challenge of renewing my student visa in December and finalizing a potential university transfer. There have been so many moments over the course of the last week where I’ve felt so helplessly overwhelmed by the stress of so many things that I can’t possibly control…and in the scariest moments, I find myself pondering the grim reality of not securing my visa, not having the time to get all of the details sorted out. Of course, I am confident that it will all work out, as I know that my time in France is not yet finished…

Sitting on that métro, watching the Eiffel Tower fly by, crossing the Seine…I couldn’t help but reflect on how much I have to be thankful for. Even if absolutely everything were to end tomorrow, and I was going to be in Iowa once again…I have already experienced so many things that are so much greater than I could have ever dreamed of seeing. I have met people who have transformed my heart, who have challenged me with their different perspectives and opinions. I’ve had the opportunity to work with musicians far more talented than myself, met people much more well-traveled, and students much more brilliant than I. I’ve seen sights so many will never see outside of a postcard, walked streets that one dreams of walking, and studied in classrooms bursting with global influence. Even now, I struggle to list all of the things I’ve seen and done…

From the silly things…running around Buckingham Palace with my precious English friends at 3 A.M…to the mundane…getting a haircut in a funny little barbershop, with a fluffy cat curled in the window, whilst discussing my hairdresser’s view of American cities being something out of the movie Pleasantville…I’m overwhelmed by the enormous blessing that my life has been.

In my pursuit of my post-secondary education, I’ve been given an education about life that no textbook could have ever offered me. I’ve been given the opportunity to watch life unfold all around me, and allowed to let my own personal life become intertwined within the stories I’ve observed.

Saying I’m “thankful” for my life…it almost seems trivial. It is not enough to say I’m thankful…no, I’m in love. I’m head-over-heels in love with my life. I am in love with my corner boulangerie, I am in love with my precious friends in France who have become my second family, I am in love with my dirty métro, and in love with the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower. Beyond that, I’m learning to love the man that I am becoming with each passing day.

Perhaps salami sandwiches aren’t the “traditional” entrée for Thanksgiving, nor do I imagine that many Americans enjoyed nutella crêpes in lieu of pumpkin pie this afternoon…but I also guarantee you that there isn’t a single American who could possibly have more to be thankful about today than I do.

I hope that you too take today, tomorrow, and the days that follow…every day that follows…to be, yes…”thankful”…but to find ways to fall in love with your life. It’s okay to struggle with things, and it’s normal to want certain things to be different…but at the end of the day, being in love with your life is a choice. I could complain about my Subway sub, saying I wished I had gravy and turkey…but guess what? A-It was a stinking great sandwich…but B-I got to share that great sandwich with great people. Perhaps it’s not the “perfect” ideal, but then again, what prevents us from rewriting perfect?

Choose to let your today be ideal. No, I’m not encouraging you to become complacent, simply accepting that things will always be one way or another…but I do hope that wherever you find yourself in this moment, you’ll find a little area of life in which you can say, “You know what? I’m not just thankful for that…I am in LOVE with that part of this life I’ve been given.”

Thank you guys for reading my blog…for staying involved in my crazy world…you all are so awesome!

In closing, I want to share a video montage I created for the beautiful Miss Zoë Arnol this past week. Zoë moved back to Australia on Sunday, closing this chapter of her life in France…it remains to be seen when she’ll be making her way back across the globe to join us again, but I know that regardless of what happens, her influence over the last few months has made such an impact. Truly, what a blessing to be thankful for.

ALSO: REMEMBER THANKSGIVING IN LONDON

AND LAST YEAR IN PARIS

Zoë in Paris from Adam Zetterlund on Vimeo.