“Are you open?”

That’s the question I posed to two French girls painting in their slice of heaven tucked in a narrow alleyway in Barcelona. One of my best friends from Kanakuk, studying abroad in Florence, and I slid into their studio without thinking twice. 

Inside, twinkling string lights illuminated their canvases as old Eminem played on the stereo.

The reason I asked the question is because it was well past closing time….

We began to communicate in Spanish as I asked the basic questions to be sure they were actually open and willing to welcome us in. Margaret, who only knew a bit of Italian, stood by very confused about our situation. But they immediately felt like friends I had known forever and once I realized they spoke English, we talked until the sun was threatening to peak over the horizon. 

Charlotte and Julie are twin artists from Paris who moved to Barcelona to make art, and because they wanted to see more of the world. We talked about life in France, and we shared stories from Arkansas and Mississippi. While Eminem alternated with Lana del Rey, we asked them questions about Barcelona. 

They love Barcelona (and so did I).

They love it because in France they said that everyone is focused on work. They walk fast with their heads down and they do jobs they don’t like to make money. They just couldn’t live like that.  

“We may be poor, but we are happy.”

In Barcelona, they love what they do and even though their pockets don’t overflow, they live happily. 

However, I hadn’t asked the biggest question burning at the forefront of my mind since I discovered their studio: WHY ARE YOU OPEN AT 4 AM!? 

“We are open to meet people, to do work we love or to be open for someone who needs us to be open.”

I guess in that moment I also needed them to be open. It made me think about how often I run around with my head down, focused on myself and forget to open myself to others and to the world. 

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It’s easier to be closed, to go to bed early, to do our jobs and stay in the comfort of our normal routines. 

However, what possibilities would lie ahead, what grand adventures and beautiful people would I encounter if we were open every single day?

Here, I have tasted what it means to open myself to the world through a new language, culture and identity defined not by my previous accomplishments, but by my present heart. 

I left Barcelona with two more wine glasses (one from Beyoncé’s favorite restaurant in Barcelona, Da Greco, shoutout to Hallie, and one from Lolea, the best sangria I’ve ever had) and Ed Sheeran dancing around La Sagrada Familia in my head.

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On the plane back to Sevilla, I opened my book, A Gentleman in Moscow, (10/10 recommend) and found a wonderful quote:

“What matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim.”

Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow

Papa John and I used to trade “thoughts for the day” throughout our entire birthmonth, and if we still did, that would be mine for the entire month.

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May we ALL venture forth in the grand adventure of life 🙂

PS: blog post from Morocco coming soon, but have to wait to be sure of one thing ….