Adopting an Ooh-La-La Attitude

Eggs-cusez-moi, Your Signature Style is Showing

The streets of Paris are lovingly packed with street-side cafes, charming boutiques, designer dress shops and the most decadent bakeries. You might wonder how they all seem to be bustling with activity. I believe it’s because they let their signature style do the talking while you do the walking. For example, as entrées are often enjoyed en plein air, cuisine becomes advertising. Would you stop for an egg served sunny side up in the middle of your pizza? The French would and if you want to have what they have, you would, too.

Savour the Moment

If there is one thing that stands out most in Paris, it would have to be how the French make everything seem utterly cherished. Imagine being passionate about every sip of un café, every nibble of an éclair chocolat, every delicious conversation, every ray of sunshine and every moment relaxing among the trees in Jardin du Luxembourg during the workday! When you treat every little blessing as a treasure and not like something that’s in the way of getting back to work, you may feel your face getting all expressively French and making kissing sounds in the air as you greet your friends cheek to cheek. Magnifique!

Surround Yourself with Inspiration

When I asked the late Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean what went through his mind when he was standing on the gray, still, quiet world of the moon, he said, “I realized we live in the Garden of Eden.” Color, beauty, life and movement are everywhere here, especially for those who live near forests and oceans. If your environment is not inspiring you, you’ve got to get your rocket ship headed in the right direction. Parisians are surrounded by architectural marvels on the streets, priceless works of art in museums and endless grassy rolling hills just outside the city. If you need inspiration, make like Simone Biles and spring for it.

Why Be Pretty Good When You Can Be Ooh-la-la?

While shopping in a beautifully appointed men’s clothing shop, my husband made the mistake of taking an assortment of linen shirts and jackets with him and disappearing into a dressing room. That left me all alone surrounded by lovely garments. The scarves especially drew me in – so very French. As I was wrapping myself in silk, I was interrupted by an extremely dapper gentleman who very intentionally plucked the lovely scarves from me, one by one with dramatic flair, and rushed away, saying something that sounded excitedly lyrical. When he returned, he had one precious scarf in his hand – red and flowing with flowers of orange, green and violet – which was soon artistically draped around me. As I was being positioned in front of a full-length

mirror, he smiled with satisfaction and said, “Ooh la la!” In my little black dress, I thought I looked pretty good already, but “Ooh la la,” spoken by a Frenchman in Paris is definitely better.

Let’s all be better as we draw inspiration from Paris and the Summer Olympics. Bonne journée! QCBN

By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN

Bonnie Stevens is the editor of QCBN. She is a career journalist and public relations consultant. She can be reached at bonnie.stevens@gmail.com.