My new normal

When our family moved to urban Lyon from suburban North Carolina, everything changed. I usually tell people I come from Charlotte, but due to typical American sprawl, we actually lived in a "small" farming town situated about 25 miles south of the big city. (Small is in quotation marks because the town is so widespread geographically: google tells me its area is about 30 square kilometers. In contrast, Lyon is 48 square kilometers, but has 44 times the population!)

Our former rental home sat on over an acre of woods. In the summertime we couldn't see our nearest neighbors thanks to the thick foliage. Occasionally, the sounds of lawn mowers or barking dogs would disturb the peace, but normally it was quiet.

By contrast, in Lyon we live in an apartment just a few blocks from city center. It's noisy. All the time. But as I've said before in earlier posts, I love my new lifestyle here. It has become my new normal.

It hit me like a ton of bricks the other day as I was walking back from the grocery store, toting my "caddy" behind me and carrying a baguette underneath my arm: "I have a new life." One that I'm actually used to. I don't find it strange anymore to exit the front door and immediately enter a living stream of humanity rushing along the sidewalks. It's no longer foreign to hop on a metro or take out a bike from the "Vélo'V" stands to get from place to place. I'm thankful, SO thankful, that I don't have to get in the car every time I need to run an errand. Everything the city has to offer is literally just outside my door.

I've grown accustomed to the urban noises. Cars, buses, and delivery trucks constantly cruise down our street, but I barely notice the ruckus anymore. Now I'm so used to the French police sirens (which sound like bagpipes to me), when I watch an American action movie I find the high-pitched siren noises strange.

When I need some peace and quiet, I simply head to the park. It's a 15 minute walk, 10 minute jog, or 5 minute bike or bus ride away from our apartment. This enormous and beautiful park has become my surrogate backyard. When I enter its imposing gates, I enter another world. Stress drains away. I commune with nature, and the God who created it. Sometimes I go there to exercise, sometimes I read a book or work a Sudoku puzzle, sometimes I just sit. And breathe. And after a while, I return. I return to the noise, to the chaos, to the energy of urban life.

Usually, I don't even hear it.