The other day I was running late to class. I had my headphones in and was just focusing on getting from point A to point B as quickly as I could. I was about half way when I realized, standing in front of Église Saint-Sulpice de Paris (where Da Vinci’s Code was filmed) which I pass every morning, that I wasn’t embracing the walk or the buildings around me. I was always rushing to get to class on time – with headphones in and my eyes fixated on the path below me. It was in that moment that I realized I needed to slow down, breathe, and take it all in. I couldn’t tell you the song that was playing through my phone but I stood in the middle of the Église Saint-Sulpice and did a 180 degree turn. I didn’t care if I was late to class, I was going to take the time to appreciate my surroundings. I don’t know if it was the music, the church, or the fact that the scenery was just that beautiful but I began to tear up. I felt so small in that moment but so complete. It was exactly where I was supposed to be at that exact moment. The feeling was overwhelming!

I believe it is so important to take in all that is around you. You might not be in Paris (where everything seems to be beautiful) but there is beauty all around us, we just have to take the moment to see it and appreciate it. Today, I hope you can take the time be still, breathe, see, and appreciate. It really is a powerful feeling!