Like a French Bookstore

On a brisk autumn walk through the 18th arrondissement of Paris, I stumbled across Les Trois Soeurs, a children's bookstore.

It would have taken Godzilla's French cousin Little Nepitiz to pry me out of there, if it weren't for the store's imminent closing time and the problematic running out of currency with which to purchase more items.

Still, I managed to pore over the toddler section, some of the display window items, and a swirling stand of charming postcards.

Takeaway Loot: charming postcards, alphabet and transportation board books for Ripley, and the delightfully illustrated story of Nanette the Orangutan who longs to move from the Paris Zoo to her motherland, Borneo.

On a well-planned trip, your ability to find precisely what you mapped out is balanced with your ability to embrace serendipitous discovery.

And therein lies the secret of dwelling in possibility: engineer opportunities for happy accidents. Position yourself to collide with delightful uncertainty. Imagine all the wonders your heart can't yet imagine holding. Like a French bookstore.

And there you'll be.