What I’m Taking Home With Me (Besides a Few Too Many Shoes)

They say every trip teaches you something—about the world, about others, about yourself.

This one? She taught me a lot.

The rhythm of Paris has a magic all her own: long café mornings, slow strolls, and chairs that face the street, not the table. It’s as if everyone here has agreed—life is meant to be watched, not rushed. And if you’re lucky, you’ll be watching it side by side with someone special, your legs casually brushing beneath the table, eyes on the world, hearts on each other.

I’m not there right now. Not today.

I spent the morning tucked away in the warmth of my beautiful hotel room, reflecting and sipping life slowly. Six nights in Paris might’ve been a touch too long, but then again, maybe I needed every single one of those days to bring me right here—to this moment of clarity, of peace.

I ventured out, wandering side streets I hadn’t yet explored. I returned to Galeries Lafayette to soak in the terrace view and wander among the designer treasures—not to buy, but to be inspired. I treated myself to a little gelato, because when you’re healing a heart, there should always be gelato.

And then I returned to my room. I showered, put on my lip gloss, and smiled in the mirror—not because everything was perfect, but because I am learning to be okay, even when it’s not.

I’ll admit, there was a moment I wished someone special was here to share this with me. But then again, I am sharing it—with me. And I’m finally starting to realize that’s enough.

Still, as life would have it, my last night in Paris had one more lesson in store for me—one wrapped in sequins, velvet, and red lights: Crazy Horse.

What a show. A celebration of strength and sensuality. Those women were artists—every movement, every twirl, a testament to power and beauty. It reminded me that confidence is magnetic, and sensuality is not something to put on hold. It’s to be lived. Expressed. Danced. Whether alone or with someone, it is mine to embody.

So, I walked there—through Champs-Élysées and Jardin des Champs-Élysées, in my own spotlight of sorts. And I walked back the same way, grateful, proud, and lit up in a way that can only come from doing something brave, bold, and just for yourself.

This trip has been a reset. A reckoning. And a reclaiming.

I’m not taking home souvenirs. I’m taking home a steadier heart, a stronger spirit, and a reminder that I deserve the kind of love that feels like Paris at night—timeless, beautiful, and wildly alive.

I’m headed home, and I’m ready. I’m ready to keep healing. I’m ready to begin again.

And when the right person finds me?

Oh, he better be ready too.

Honey Note 💛

Don’t let anyone tell you what you should want or who you should be by now. You are allowed to crave closeness and still embrace solitude. You are allowed to long for love and still choose yourself. You can be vulnerable and powerful, soft and strong, messy and magical—all at once.

Keep dancing. Even if it’s just in your hotel mirror.

Au revoir, for now…

With a suitcase full of memories, a heart open wide, and lips still tingling from the kiss of Paris

😘MaryNell

www.LivelyByHoney.com