Salut mes amis! Ça va?
I ADORE taking the métro here in Paris. Yes, it's true. Everyone thinks I'm crazy. What's my secret?
Here, for your pleasure: "How To Achieve Zen On The Métro." =D
Step One: Know where you're going. That one's a given. If you have to stop to analyze the signs, you're going to disturb the zen.
Step Two: Get that Parisian pedestrian face on and traipse down those stairs like they aren't even there. Secretly congratulate yourself once you get to the bottom for not tripping and falling on your face.
Step Three: Keep your Navigo pass in a place where you don't have to fish it out to use it. Just put your whole bag on the sensor, let that little green light beep, and breeze straight through the gate without stopping. Again, secretly congratulate yourself.
Step Four: Look at all those people waiting for the next train! But don't panic! Calmly find the optimal position. It's usually down at the end of the platform; no one wants to walk all that way! Then, get as close to the track as it is safe and possible to be. If the whole track is lined with people, second best is right behind a snappy businessman. He is going to do everything possible to get on that next train, and will serve as an excellent "battering ram" for you.
Step Five: If you're close enough, enjoy the rush of sudden wind that the train will generate when it pulls up. Imagine you're in one of those old movies with the steam trains pulling up in the fog.
Step Six: Board the train. If it is REALLY crowded, this is harder than it sounds. Look for the open spaces, and know the magic word "Pardon!" Try to get yourself as far back into the car as you can, so that the people behind you won't push you. If you can, try to maneuver yourself into one of the optimal positions. An optimal position is anywhere that has a wall or folding chair behind you (and the back door counts as a wall; it never opens). Best of all is the chair right next to the door. Why are these best? If it is extremely crowded, you will not have to move when others disembark (and the closer you are to the door, the less you will have to push through people to disembark).
Step Seven: Have headphones on and let your music meld with the sounds of the métro. Quel musique? I'm glad you asked. You don't want true zen music, or you risk going to sleep. Nor do you want something too harsh. The point isn't to ESCAPE the métro by focusing on the music, but to find that place where the whole métro BECOMES the music. I usually pick something semi-repetitive with a defined dance beat. Like these:
http://youtu.be/gUzQtSLu_zI
http://youtu.be/TLqICjQRmC8
And if you're in a hurry, just increase the tempo a little bit, and you can still keep your zen: http://youtu.be/NoAtnJoSNHQ
While listening, notice how the periodic bleat of the "door closing" alarm perfectly fits the beat of the song you're listening to, or how the car ahead of you bumps up and down like a careening time machine, or how that harsh curve caused the lights to flicker like you're in the Twilight Zone, or how the reflections in the windows look like Impressionistic art. Find beauty in something. Pretend you're in a music video or a moving painting.
Step Eight: Exit the métro. Again, know the magic word "Pardon!" If you're at the far back corner of the car, make sure you start positioning yourself to leave before the train stops. Often, the people in front of you will notice and move before you even speak. (And, make sure you do this for others too! Watch for people who suddenly pick up their belongings, start intently peering over people's heads, or even just stand up a little straighter. With practice, the subtlest motions to leave can be easily noticed.)
Step Nine: Breeze through those hallways, seeking all the open spaces. Get up those stairs two by two. They are not the boss of you! Walk up escalators, if there are any. 'Force push' those automatic sorties open! Just let your legs carry you onward and upward, like that urban Tarzan you are!
Step Ten: Emerge into the sunlight with a contented sigh. Breathe in that crisp clear air. Let your face balloon into a gleeful smile. (Then quickly wipe it off and put that Parisian pedestrian face back on!)
There you have it. That's how I use the métro every day! How do YOU achieve zen in the mundane moments of your life?
Your friend, the aethernaut,
~M~
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
little joys
Joined Polyvore =) Here's one of the aesthetics of Paris:
I'm making a list of the little joys I'm discovering while in Paris.
On the Métro...
#1. Swinging aboard like an urban Tarzan right as the doors are about to close.
#2. Finding that ONE station where that whole crowd around you decides to get off.
#3. Pretending to "force push" the automatic 'sorties' open.
#4. When you know the route so well that you don't have to look for the signs anymore... and can keep reading G.K. Chesterton instead.
#5. Letting the sounds of the rails on the tracks merge with the Kraftwerk music playing through your earphones.
#6. Finishing that one last level of "Cut the Rope" with a magnificent flick of your fingers WHILE exiting at the correct stop.
#7. That gypsy accordion player at the far end of your car.
#8. Watching the car ahead of you bump up and down like a prototype time machine.
#9. When the train makes such a sharp turn that the lights start to flicker as if you've veered into the Twilight Zone.
Being there...
#1. When your iPod automatically shuffles to JUST THE RIGHT SONG for that spot you're in.
#2. Getting to an appointment late, then realizing, "OH! I forgot... that meeting was actually TOMORROW!"
#3. When you find that perfect view (or picture) completely by accident.
#4. The day you realize that the hot chocolate in the vending machine is only 30 cents.
#5. Walking past a boulangerie early enough in the morning to smell the bread baking.
#6. Singing in French... and realizing you know the song!
#7. Walking by a church just as the bells chime.
#8. Walking into a huge cathedral like Notre Dame right as Mass is starting.
#9. Enjoying an omelette at a café... then noticing that some tourist is taking a picture of the café you're sitting at.
#10. Realizing that Montmartre is just as nice with tourists as without.
#11. Learning a new word without looking it up in the dictionary... and using it correctly!
But you don't have to be in Paris to make a list of "little joys!" What are some of the little joys in YOUR life right now? =)
Your friendly corresponding aethernaut,
M
I'm making a list of the little joys I'm discovering while in Paris.
On the Métro...
#1. Swinging aboard like an urban Tarzan right as the doors are about to close.
#2. Finding that ONE station where that whole crowd around you decides to get off.
#3. Pretending to "force push" the automatic 'sorties' open.
#4. When you know the route so well that you don't have to look for the signs anymore... and can keep reading G.K. Chesterton instead.
#5. Letting the sounds of the rails on the tracks merge with the Kraftwerk music playing through your earphones.
#6. Finishing that one last level of "Cut the Rope" with a magnificent flick of your fingers WHILE exiting at the correct stop.
#7. That gypsy accordion player at the far end of your car.
#8. Watching the car ahead of you bump up and down like a prototype time machine.
#9. When the train makes such a sharp turn that the lights start to flicker as if you've veered into the Twilight Zone.
Being there...
#1. When your iPod automatically shuffles to JUST THE RIGHT SONG for that spot you're in.
#2. Getting to an appointment late, then realizing, "OH! I forgot... that meeting was actually TOMORROW!"
#3. When you find that perfect view (or picture) completely by accident.
#4. The day you realize that the hot chocolate in the vending machine is only 30 cents.
#5. Walking past a boulangerie early enough in the morning to smell the bread baking.
#6. Singing in French... and realizing you know the song!
#7. Walking by a church just as the bells chime.
#8. Walking into a huge cathedral like Notre Dame right as Mass is starting.
#9. Enjoying an omelette at a café... then noticing that some tourist is taking a picture of the café you're sitting at.
#10. Realizing that Montmartre is just as nice with tourists as without.
#11. Learning a new word without looking it up in the dictionary... and using it correctly!
But you don't have to be in Paris to make a list of "little joys!" What are some of the little joys in YOUR life right now? =)
Your friendly corresponding aethernaut,
M
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