Life is like a box of chocolates

You never know what you're going to get.

That was more true than ever today. It's definitely true about Paris as a city. It is an unpredictable place. You never know when the road you are hoping to drive down will be closed for a protest, when the restaurant you were hoping to eat at will be closed because - well - they're french and they do what they want, or when an entire sector of employees will go on strike. You also can't predict what you're going to find as you wander. You can turn a corner and suddenly find yourself in the middle of a tiny 'Greektown' or in the midst of only men's clothing shops. I was early for my yoga class today so I decided to explore the streets around it for a bit. I literally turned a corner and was on a street that had nothing but stores about comic books and video games.

Without intending to, I tried out a new yoga teacher today. In fact, it was the very first class she taught at the studio. You definitely never know what you're going to get with yoga teachers. Each one has a different style and highlights different elements of the practice. Non-yogis would be shocked at what a difference a different teacher can make. In case you're curious, she was not great but decent. I think she was nervous.

After yoga, I got a manicure at a place I'd never been to before. Spas are infamously unpredictable. They can look great and even charge high prices, but you truly don't know what type of quality to expect until you've been through it once. Suffice to say, I will never go back there again. I hope she couldn't tell that I was alternating between clenching my jaw to prevent myself from asking her to fix something and holding my breath to prevent myself from laughing out loud.

On a larger scale, you really never know what you're going to get in life. You don't know what people you'll meet who will change your life. You don't know what mistakes you'll make (if you did, you certainly wouldn't make them, now would you?). You don't know what health you'll have. We try to control as much as we can. We work hard to do it. But in the end, a lot is left to - what? - chance? destiny? fate?

One of these fateful and unpredictable situations requires me to go back to Toronto for a few days to support a friend in need. It certainly wasn't what I planned - but I am happy to go back for her and plus I get to sleep in my own bed and see my family and friends.

À bientôt Paris.