le retour du flâneur...

Today marked the close of my work week and the start of our time away in Montréal.  For two weeks we will be in le Plateau while Di completes her practicum for teaching English as a Foreign Language. Then we switch abodes to celebrate our anniversary in the Little Italy neighborhood near our favorite Marché Jean Talon. For the first part of this adventure, Di will be in class: my job will be to care for her needs, make sure she gets to and from the language center in a timely fashion and feed her well. The rest of the day, however, is all about the return of le flâneur as I anticipate a ton of aimless wandering.

During my study time, I will be going deeper into Henri Nouwen's notes re: spiritual direction. This is something I want and need to explore more seriously as the summer unfolds. Having just completed my evaluation and report for our sabbatical experience two years ago, it is clear that doing this work in the wider community - including among those without a clear sense of spiritual grounding - resonates with my soul. So besides practicing scales and considering Nouwen's insights, there's a whole lot of Montréal for me to discover:  markets to shop, museums to appreciate, brasseries to savor and bookstores to get lost in.

I hope to interview the owner of our favorite jazz club, Dièse Onze, and take in as much live Québécois jazz as possible. This gets my mood and groove just about perfectly...