Des Moments July 1st-15th

July 1 – Paris

Basketball with French guys in Luxembourg Park. First game I’m playing with three young kids, 16-17 years-old. I lose. The next game I play with guys my age. One tall French guy roughs me up a bit. I rough him up back. Boxing out, elbows, hip checks, position, energy exerted. It felt good to scratch, to claw, to get cut and bruised. To compete, physically.

July 2nd – Paris

Next door to our hotel is the Polidor Restaurant. This is where they shot my favorite scene and line from the Woody Allen movie, Midnight in Paris. Ernest Hemingway tell Owen Wilson this, “No subject is terrible if the story is true, and if the prose are clean and honest. And if it affirms courage and grace under pressure.”

July 3 – Paris

Speaking of prose, I saw a tee shirt once that had a picture of Shakespeare with the line, “Prose before Ho’s.” I laugh about this, because I’m constantly trying (and failing) to put my writing before my penchant to think about and be distracted by girls.

July 4 – Paris

Listening to an audiobook while running, a book on relationships. It defines intimacy as, “You feeling safe sharing your reality with me, and me feeling safe sharing my reality with you.” True connection. I’ve put intimacy in the category of making love or having sex. Intimacy is much deeper than that. It’s much more than sex.

July 5 – Paris

My flight back to New York is tonight. I have a full day to kill in Paris. Bread, cheese, beer, lying on the grass with a view of Eiffel’s Tower. Then to the Catacombs to see millions of skulls of human beings, but the line was too long; too many living human beings wanting to see dead human beings. So I went to a café, drank a petite beer and charged my phone. The dead human beings don’t have to worry about charging phones, but also can’t enjoy a petite beer.

July 6 – New Jersey

Back from Paris, reflection of my time in the 100 year old book Store, Shakespeare and Company. I picked up a book, Love Poems by Rumi. I opened a random page, and found the poem, The Letter:

You are the letter written by God

You are the mirror, that reflects the divine

Seek inside, for all you want is all you are

There is nothing above and beyond

July 7 – New Jersey

Back in New Jersey, my mind is still inside that bookstore in Paris. I found another book, The Mysticism of Saint Francis of Assisi. I traveled to Assisi, Italy last year, the tomb of Saint Francis: it had a high vibration, a peaceful vibration. I opened the book, and there was a note inside marked on Chapter 13: “Today I found the purpose for life and my heart. Chapter 13 is a true blessing. With Love, DJ”

July 8 – New Jersey

New Jersey BBQ and pool party for a good friend’s birthday. Delicious Italian food. Good people. We call my friend “The Gaurdian.” He’s always looking after our group of friends. He holds us accountable. He wants to see people happy and see people succeed. Grateful for him.

July 9 – New York City

The village. SoHo. Lower Manhattan. I want to live in this part New York City one day. I walked passed a real estate office. One bedroom for rent for $4100 a month. I can’t live to New York City just yet.

July 10 – New York City

Commuting to the city again. 8-9am commute (meditate 20 min, audio book 20 min, daydream 20 min) 9-10am: read 10-1pm: write 1pm-4pm: Lunch/World Cup France vs Belgium. I’m more excited about the soccer game than working. But when I dig in, I’m in. I’m writing and I’m finding my flow. What helps is this: I’m in a bookstore that does not have Internet. I’m actually writing.

July 11 – New Jersey

England vs Croatia – great game. It took up most of my day though – three hours watching the game essentially. I really need to work and write from 6am-Noon every day. Walking up at 5:30am and working from 6am-10am or noon has to matter more than anything else. I’m not there yet.

July 12 – New Jersey

Went out with one of my best friends for beers last night for his birthday. Great time catching up. He just started in real estate, and started reading personal development (Miracle morning, Rich Dad Poor Dad). He’s dialed in and enthusiastic about his new path. Enthusiasm is contagious in the most positive way. Reminded me of the importance of learning, investing in yourself and setting big goals for you and your family.

July 13 – New Jersey

Reading Hemingway’s memoir, Immovable Feast. He drank, a lot, yet he had rules to his drinking in correlation to his writing. He called it “training.” His training was: never drink before writing. Never drink during writing. Never drink after dinner. But after writing and all the way through dinner, he was liberal, borderline excessive with his whiskey, beer, and French white wine.

July 14 – New Jersey

Reading the Essays of Warren Buffet. His company has a very high stock price. So they created their stock to class A and Class B. Class B being a lower priced stock for investors to buy. When he and Charlie Munger made Class B available they told potential investors the price of the stock is not lower than the value, and they would not buy the stock themselves. Wow. Lesson: Disclosure. Lesson: Integrity. Buffet and Munger’s message to investors at the time: If you going to buy this stock, buy for the long-term. Message to me: Apply this lesson to every day life.

July 15 – New Jersey

Note To Self: Read a lot. Write a lot. Keep track of my ideas. Do the work. Turn pro. Go to bed early.