Two winters ago my family took a trip to Paris, France to visit family friends who own an apartment in the fourth arrondissement. I've never been a big city guy, but I was very excited to visit a city I had heard about my entire life. We had plans to visit all the major museums and tourist sites, and had a guide that could show us the more hidden parts of the city also. Upon arriving I became very overwhelmed by the city. My anxiety was through the roof. The apartment was beautiful and the town was amazing, but I was not feeling comfortable or relaxed there. We had arrived at night and been out all the next day, but on the second
day I stayed behind to try and relax while they went out walking. I discovered that the apartment had a green house built into the middle of it that was two stories tall. The green house was run down and the plants had taken over most of it, and there were small bamboo patches in second story pots reaching up toward the sunlight. The green house was cubic and about 15 feet wide diagonally. It was here that I found relief from the city. It was quite and full of the smells of plants and wet soil. I found this place to be chora, or place that is energizing to the self or spirit. It was a unique space within that environment and it provided a space where my mind could relax more easily. I have forgotten what most of the apartment looked like, but I will never forget the details of that greenhouse.
- December 4, 2013
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