French Beauties

Why are the French people so beautiful? These sorts of questions tend to haunt me. There are a few things I have observed during my 4 days here thus far. Women are not afraid to be feminine, men are men. People are generally well dressed but not overdressed. I have seen a total of 2 goth styled women. People do their hair and put on nice coats. Most women don't wear a lot of makeup They are peaceful, generally courteous.

French families touch a lot. I see couples holding hands and walking very close together. Twice now I have witnessed adult daughters holding their mothers' hands. One was on the street walking, the other was across the table dining at a restaurant as they were gazing at each other and enjoying a deep conversation.

Eye contact is a real thing. Peaceful gazing is the norm. Couples on the subway will stand close together and just look at each other. Not in a cheesy way, but as a type of communication. There is a stillness in spirit this type of gazing seems to produce.

Parents are very gentle with their little ones. I have not seen one harsh word or action in any of the subways or restaurants. This is in stark difference to the Pacific Northwest when I regularly cringe because of parental slaps and overt irritations. Parents in France will watch from a few feet away and keep a loose hand on their child while letting them explore a little.

I see happy Grandparents with grandchildren at parks, theaters, and the like as a general rule.

I know enough about neural psychology that every one of these relational items produces brain growth and connections that not only cause happy people but literally help grow the circuitry of the brain. Could this also be part of the reason people here are so beautiful? Apart from diet, and other factors, perhaps the way families interact has much more to do with general health?

The diet, of course, is another factor but that is writing for another day.

We had a down day today. Justin was not feeling very well. His digestion is out of sync, but is getting better with time. My back is very painful. I am taking a couple ibuprofens each day to get me by with all the walking. So we decided to go to a French play after leaving the hotel around noon. Miriam just read her first Charles Dickens novel in school last month so Oliver Twist seemed fitting although it being in French it was a little hard to follow but still a very neat experience in a very cool old theater.

Where's Waldo?