18 Comments

This was a beautifully written piece my friend. I’m learning that real joy comes not from forcing yourself to see only the light, but embracing and processing the darkness and learning that joy can co exist in those places as well.

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I guess that’s exactly what I’m discovering ! Perhaps most jarring is seeing people around us who appear unfazed or who are actively repressing feeling anything about any of the world’s injustices. Seems an odd way to go through life when we can’t claim ignorance.

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Thank you. I try to stay upbeat and encouraging in the midst of such world turmoil. The reminders of specific points of beauty are important. I return to Paris soon, almost guilty, but with gratitude.

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Comfortable and well fed by your friends, sounds soothing to the soul. Will visit France this week, excited!

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I hope you have a brilliant visit.

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Beautiful piece. (I ate at Kubri once on my last trip to Paris. Her food is simple and brilliant. I need to try and go again before I leave Paris on Thursday.)

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I hope you can make it back! 🫶🏻

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A brilliant piece Lindsey. I am always looking for beauty and seeking out little moments of joie de vivre to get me through trauma, sadness, and all the bad news constantly streaming into my phone.

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This is one of my favorite of your posts here so far. I think the darkness, which seems to be spreading and deepening around us by the day, makes the moments of joy, beauty, pleasure and love more precious. Pretending the terrible things happening in our world aren't happening was never a solution for me. I feel like that leads to a superficial, brittle, guilty and ultimately unsatisfying cocoon of faux security. Something like hollow laughter. So, yes, here's to savoring the beauty, joy and love we can every moment we can as we remain conscious of all that is so very wrong -- and do what we can to combat it.

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Free Palestine from Israeli occupation. Period.

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Well isn't it s-h-i-t that the nice caring people have got all the great ideas but no way to install them,no political power,of course once any of them have gained the necessary political power they have also got hopelessly corrupted by the system anyway. While the people who do have the political and military power to enforce whatever they bloody well want,that being an appropriate adjective,seem to be unstoppable by the powerful democratic means that since WW2 they've been busy dismantling without telling us. Some of us saw it anyway but no one cares what we think anyway. So at least in 1946 Germany the ordinary people could claim they didn't know what was going on. They aren't complicit. The f.....in Nazis had the decency to maintain a level of secrecy,at least enough that der volk could claim non-complicitity. But now,now we are all made complicit. They practically live stream it on tv. I don't have a tv. I'm not paying the BBC (UK) to tell me what and how to think. But it gets on all the social media platforms. Watch this video of the big refugee camp getting carpet bombed. The Yahoo is seriously EVIL. Why does USA support him? And Lebanon was NEVER in THAT promise so whats that about. It also looks to me like the DOMINO theory IN ACTION,I mean where next? Why,oh why do the "got the power to enforce it Israelis" seem to want to bring to life every medieval hate trope that ever existed about Jews. Actually I'm old enough to remember the 1960s and the kind of people you are,well,they seemed to have won the cultural battle. All the old enmities and prejudices had been swept away and any remaining would soon be. Jews were nice,sweet,charming and talented people like David Kossoff and Lionel Blair and black people were Kenny Lynch or Rudolf Walker,gay men were Kenneth Williams and Hugh Paddick in their Jules and Sandy personas of course. All charming,nice,pleasant, innoffensive,kind.So what happened and why are we being against our will made complicit. At least I've written it my MP (UK) so my opposition to Genocide is on record. And CONSCRIPTION. No sending my two fine,hard work ing great nephews to die in some foreign field. It's NOT 1914 and it's NOT 1939.

The Rose Garden at Pereire.

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Lindsey, this is such a poignant reflection of the power of beauty during periods of pain. When we met in Paris, I was in such a dark place and I knew intuitively that the only place I would find healing was Paris- even if it meant making new connections and creating new traditions. The hope beauty provides is what gives us the energy and strength to continue moving on. It allows us to reside in that liminal space gracefully and authentically. The great Andre Leon Talley once said " My eyes are starving for beauty!" May the beauty of Paris continue to sustain us all.

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This Is exactly the subject of the French writer Charles Pépin « Quand la beauté nous sauve », the place I prefer is the Place des Vosges during the week when it’s desert and take some delicious food at Brigat and Babka Zana , walking amont the Seine from the Île Saint Louis to the Jardin des plantes and see the dancers of tango ❤️

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Your article is quite moving and so beautifully written. I was in Paris a few weeks ago and met friends for an amazing lunch at Kubri, it’s been on my list for awhile. We had the entire starters menu plus some labneh, and now, I just can’t wait to return on my next visit to Paris. I am always grateful to be able share a wonderful meal in the company of good friends. Thank you for sharing.

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Thank you! I'm so glad you made it to Kubri, it's so special and the food is pure comfort.

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Beautifully written ♥️. I guess the only thing we can do is to try and shield ourselves when needed, look for solace in the mundane, and I am always grateful for being able to live and be with the people I love. And coming to Paris, of course!!

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You’re right! Our communities, small and large, are everything. Sending you love 💙

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Rien.

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