nice to meet you

I remember listening to Adam Gopnik tell Charlie Rose what he would miss if or when he and his family left Paris. "I will miss the beauty and poetry of daily life," he said. Gopnik went on to describe joyous outings; how he feels as he pushes his son in a stroller through the gates of the 17th century Jardin du Luxembourg where his son likes to play and where they watch the marionette show before stopping at a bakery on the way home. 

I have a gate! That was my thought. And my gate squeaks as if it's centuries old. I love the feeling I get when I open it and enter the back yard. It is shady and peaceful and I am home. It is where, like Adam Gopnik, I embrace one beauty of everyday life. 

But since I don't live in Paris or in Florence where I left my heart, it's a little harder. I don't wake up opening four sets of shutters to hear church bells ringing. I'm not able to stroll down the street, happily ducking into a Bar to order a perfect cappuccino which I'd drink standing up. And I can't find truffles in my neighborhood market in the fall, even if I could afford them. 

I can however, look around my house and see and feel Florence. I do have a perfect cappuccino every single morning, thanks to my fabulous, six year old Nespresso machine. Weather permitting, I have it sitting on the patio, in the yard with the squeaky gate. 

Every day gives us something to behold. It might be funny, boring, delicious, exciting, or heartbreaking, but whatever, it is to be celebrated. 

So, FROM 3906 is simply about seeing and celebrating the joy and beauty of every day. My name is Becca. My husband is Kevin. He doesn't know I wish he wouldn't oil the gate as he does a couple of times a year.