Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

 

I am writing this week's newsletter from Paris. I saw this little sign in front of Shakespeare & Company--the famous English language bookstore, founded by the one and only Sylvia Beach, an American born bookstore owner in Paris and friend of writers everywhere.

The day after this sighting, I attended the Surrealism Exhibit at the Pompidou Center with my long-time friend, Margie. (Coincidentally, the exhibit included a room devoted to the art inspired by the publication of Lewis Carroll's seminal work, Alice in Wonderland.) My friend Margie is an expat who has been living in the north of France for the last forty years. Back in the 1970’s in New York City, we performed a show called Poetry in Motion. It involved music, dancing, poetry, original monologues, a kazoo, (yes, a kazoo), and costumes.

Oh, and berets—hat's because we held firm to the girlish dream of one day going to Paris and becoming French. Our idea of being French was borne out of films liked Jean-Luc Goddard's Breathless, but also that Patty Duke episode where Patty falls in love with her substitute French teacher. And then there was the I Love Lucy episode where Ethel and Lucy go to Paris and get outfitted in what they think is The New Look, but turns out to be another trick played on them by Ricky and Fred.

No matter. We had the dream!

And now, all these years later. Margie and I meet up at the Pompidou Center for the Surrealism exhibit. We are no longer young. In fact, we are old. But we are creating. Always creating--because, well--we are creative. But more than this, because we have the ability to believe in six impossible things before breakfast. Just like the Queen in Alice in Wonderland.

Creative Friends--your assignment for this week, is to believe in six impossible things before breakfast. And if not, then try to to do it before dinner. Or just believe in two impossible things in the middle of the day. As the French Situationalists and Guy Debord declared way back in May 1968--Be Realistic. Demand the Impossible!

Oh, and have fun.

Love,

Jamie