More than words...
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I was driving down the road on my way to school when I heard the song "More Than Words" by the group Extreme playing on the radio. Do you know that one? It's a slow song, and the two guys who sing it harmonize perfectly. Anyway, the song reminded me of a certain experience in Paris.
Yeah, I know. For some reason I have these extreme (no pun intended) moments of nostalgia for France. Just forgive and accept! But here's a quick rundown of the memory, plus a bit of contemplation. Don't forget what Socrates said: "The unexamined life is not worth living." That means, stop and reflect for a while. Turn off the TV and ponder your life.
I was with my two friends, Allesio and Catherine. Allesio is from Italy (about two hours from Rome), and Catherine is from Switzerland (can't remember what city, probably Bern). We were at Georges Pompidou center. It's this large cobblestone plaza with lots of people and lots of street performers and lots of cafés (duh) and lots of shops and lots of artists sketching charcoal caricatures for whatever price you haggle out of them. But the main feature of the plaza is the Paris Modern Art Museum--a mammoth building of mostly glass outlined in colorful tubes. And that's where we were headed.
We weaved through the throngs of tourists and locals who get a kick out of sitting around on the dusty cobblestones reading paperbacks and people watching. We each had a crêpe filled with Nutella (sort of like chocolate--they sell it at Trader Joes) and banana slices. YUMMY!! And we were passing by someone with a boombox. I bet you can guess what song was playing. NO! Not the Marseillaise! It was, of course, More Than Words by Extreme.
I immediately started singing along with the radio, and, to my surprise, so did Allesio. I don't know why, but it just seems so bizarre to me when someone who can barely utter in English can belt out a song in English. But he did. So there we were--this cosmopolitan trio--walking with our messy French crêpes, singing a song that was probably recorded in a skanky little studio in North Hollywood. But on this day it spurred the three of us into a unique bond of friendship.
It's in those moments that friendships really take hold. When you recognize a genuine familiarity, or you realize, quite unexpectedly, that you share something in common with someone else. It's awesome when you can say, Hey, I'm not alone! Other people like the same things I do. Other people think the same way as me--even if it means they're completely nutty. I know it was just a song, but it was also just a beginning.
Scroll down for a cool but blurry (sorry) picture of me, Allesio, and Catherine.
I was driving down the road on my way to school when I heard the song "More Than Words" by the group Extreme playing on the radio. Do you know that one? It's a slow song, and the two guys who sing it harmonize perfectly. Anyway, the song reminded me of a certain experience in Paris.
Yeah, I know. For some reason I have these extreme (no pun intended) moments of nostalgia for France. Just forgive and accept! But here's a quick rundown of the memory, plus a bit of contemplation. Don't forget what Socrates said: "The unexamined life is not worth living." That means, stop and reflect for a while. Turn off the TV and ponder your life.
I was with my two friends, Allesio and Catherine. Allesio is from Italy (about two hours from Rome), and Catherine is from Switzerland (can't remember what city, probably Bern). We were at Georges Pompidou center. It's this large cobblestone plaza with lots of people and lots of street performers and lots of cafés (duh) and lots of shops and lots of artists sketching charcoal caricatures for whatever price you haggle out of them. But the main feature of the plaza is the Paris Modern Art Museum--a mammoth building of mostly glass outlined in colorful tubes. And that's where we were headed.
We weaved through the throngs of tourists and locals who get a kick out of sitting around on the dusty cobblestones reading paperbacks and people watching. We each had a crêpe filled with Nutella (sort of like chocolate--they sell it at Trader Joes) and banana slices. YUMMY!! And we were passing by someone with a boombox. I bet you can guess what song was playing. NO! Not the Marseillaise! It was, of course, More Than Words by Extreme.
I immediately started singing along with the radio, and, to my surprise, so did Allesio. I don't know why, but it just seems so bizarre to me when someone who can barely utter in English can belt out a song in English. But he did. So there we were--this cosmopolitan trio--walking with our messy French crêpes, singing a song that was probably recorded in a skanky little studio in North Hollywood. But on this day it spurred the three of us into a unique bond of friendship.
It's in those moments that friendships really take hold. When you recognize a genuine familiarity, or you realize, quite unexpectedly, that you share something in common with someone else. It's awesome when you can say, Hey, I'm not alone! Other people like the same things I do. Other people think the same way as me--even if it means they're completely nutty. I know it was just a song, but it was also just a beginning.
Scroll down for a cool but blurry (sorry) picture of me, Allesio, and Catherine.
posted by Grant-Will-Rant at
11:03 PM
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