Florence's call to follow my heart

There’s a big piece of me that stays in Florence when I leave. It wasn’t until I got on the plane to go to Paris that I realized that my writer’s voice seemed to get quieter as I flew away from Florence. I found it odd how each time I’m in Paris, my desire to write becomes weaker. At first, I thought it was because when I go to Paris I focus on my job and write a lot, but the day before I returned to Florence, that little voice came back to me.

While I was reading a book on the plane Friday night, I looked out the window and saw the sun was setting and it had turned the sky into a striking sight of orange and red. My marito (husband) had sent me a photo of this exact sky in Florence just the day before and I was sad that I missed it. My eyes were glued to the window and suddenly I heard my writer’s voice come back in full force. I reached for the pen in my purse and began to write in the notebook I hadn’t opened since I left for Paris two weeks earlier. I felt joy return to me.

It certainly got me wondering about which parts of myself I leave behind and which parts I take with me to Paris. Even though Paris is a city for writers, why is it that I don’t feel as much of a desire to write when I’m there? I believe that when I’m in Paris, I follow my head and when I’m in Florence, I follow my heart.

Paris is a little more matter-of-fact while Florence tends to be more whimsical and creative. Paris is driven by goals and success while Florence is driven by joy and desire. I love them both, but for completely different reasons. When I’m in Paris, my days are structured and filled with routine while in Florence, I feel as if I do what I feel like in the moment.

When I touched down in Florence, I couldn’t have been happier. Not just because I was going to be reunited marito , but because I knew my heart would take the lead again. Being in Paris certainly does help me to focus on my life and create goals for myself, but Florence allows me to achieve those goals in a way that works for me, following my heart

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