"The earth is round, but everything on it is flat."

There are not enough French people in movies these days. I'm serious. The French are just fantastic, they seem so much more... I don't know, worldly... than Americans. And so much less gauche.

Gauche. You know, that's French for "left." It's a word that fits most Americans.

Oddly enough, my Friday night was filled with travel dreams. One of them put me in the middle of a train trip that seemed never to end. The scenery was lovely, although the train itself moved far too quickly. I was sick to death of trees and flowers when we finally reached Paris, and my heart seemed to beat faster as I recognized the city. That's where the dream ended, and I was so happy, which was strange because I'm not a Francophile, much.

I speak the language, but not very well; as much as I try to follow the French rules of fashion, I'm afraid that I fail as often as I succeed. I don't know anywhere as much as I should about wine but...

After my first trip abroad--a schoolgirl visit to Paris over spring break--I was so glad to be home. I'd never been so glad about anything. There were problems on the flight back, which nearly led to 16-year-old me getting bumped at JFK. Today that seems like nothing, but I was 16 then, and the world seemed much larger to me than it does now.

So now I'm wondering how difficult it would be for me to arrange a quick trip to Paris, for old time's sake. I know that shipping dialysis supplies is possible, and I've passed the point with the pancreas transplant where international travel is forbidden, but on the off chance that my number comes up for a new kidney, I'm technically supposed to stay within a few hours of Washington. That's by any mode of transit.

I'm sure I could piece together "When is the next flight to Washington Dulles? There's a kidney waiting for me in Virginia!"

It is possible I could use this desire to travel again, to go back to France as a motivator to help me find a living donor. Perhaps I could offer to act as a tour guide for the donor...

It probably wouldn't work, but you never know.

before - after