Me, My Heart, and I

by Melinda Gallo

Saturday, January 18, 2014

When I woke up this morning, I felt as if my life finally made sense. I’ve been trying to balance my two cities and to live fully in both for the past year and a half. It hasn’t been simple because I thought I had to choose one over the other, but I love them both for different reasons. Each city has its dominant energy: Florence’s is feminine and Paris’s is masculine. For me, these two polar opposites translate into two states: passive and active. Being and doing.

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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Even though I rarely ever make New Year’s resolutions, I decided that this year I wanted to set a few intentions for 2014. When I think of resolutions, I usually think of things I need or want to improve, but this year isn’t about improvement as much as it is about setting a new path for myself and walking down it. This year, I want to be more proactive by defining goals and focusing on them until I complete them.

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Saturday, September 7, 2013

After spending almost two weeks in Florence, it wasn’t easy for me to leave my beloved city behind. Even though many of my friends were away and many of the negozi (shops) I go to were closed, I enjoyed spending time in my beloved city. It seems that no matter where I am, I miss something or someone. When I’m in Florence, I miss my beau and when I am in France, I miss my beloved city. The transition back to France is not easy even though I navigate between the two cities all the time. I go from stone to cement, and then back to stone.

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Saturday, June 15, 2013

After my last trip to Florence, I came back to Paris and then left for California for a couple of weeks. Now that I am back in France where I plan on staying put for a little while. In the last couple of months, I have put my blog on the back burner, but have continued taking photos and publishing them via Instagram. During my last trip to Florence, my beau and I also visited the Cinque Terre and Siena. Even though I love Florence, I enjoy visiting Italy and sharing it with others.

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

The best part about where I live on the outskirts of Paris is that there’s a park along the Seine where I can run. This past winter, it was too dark for me to go running in the morning so I rarely went. I definitely felt the effect of not having my running schedule: not only did I feel lethargic, but also less inspired to write. It was almost as if my writing wasn’t flowing unless my body was moving. For the past few months, I barely running once a week, but now I’m going a few times a week like I used to. I definitely feel like a new person now that I’m back to running again.

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Saturday, April 20, 2013

Today I went to see Joyce Maynard speak at the Mots en Marge bookshop in La Garenne-Colombes, which is outside of Paris and close to where I live. I later learned that she is a friend of the owner of the bookshop, a lovely French woman who is passionate about books. It’s a joy to see her eyes light up every time she held a book in her hands and talked about it.

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Saturday, April 6, 2013

I have only been away for two weeks and yet Florence has dramatically changed in that time. When I left, it was still cold and rainy, the streets were virtually empty, and the city was still in its winter slumber. As my taxi drove me through the centro (center) this evening, I was surprised by the crowds of people, the warm air, the bright sun, and the sweet smell of spring. As soon as I got home, I dropped my bags, and I went out for a walk around my beloved city.

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

My trip to Florence last week was so brief that I didn’t find the time to write about it. I arrived last Monday evening to the clear blue skies of Florence and returned to a snowy Paris on Saturday. I spent all my free time soaking up my beloved city and catching up with my friends. It’s only now that I realize how vital my trips to Florence are for me. The time I spend there is both intense and relaxing.

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