15th April 25
Shifting Places
Tuesdays here is market day. Markets in France are so different from the ones in the UK. I am not really a person to go to markets but in France it’s a must!
There is something great about a traditional French market – all the vendors selling fresh local produce like bread, cheese, fruits, vegetables, wines, and a lot of homemade goods too.
We get up early on a Tuesday and head to the market, basket in hand. The basket never comes home empty. I must go to this particular market about five times a year and I have some of my favourite stalls I like to go to.
Today we went and I noticed something different. Not all the stalls were there – quite a few were missing but what was interesting was that each vendor was still in their usual spot, dotted around the square. You’d think they’d move closer together to fill the gaps.
It shows we’re creatures of habit returning to places that feel familiar. Maybe it’s so their customers can always find them, or maybe it’s just the comfort of routine.
It reminded me how in life, we often stick to what we know, even when the surroundings change. There’s a kind of reassurance in what’s normal I suppose, but sometimes we forget that change can open up new space too. New opportunities, new connections, or simply a new view of the same old place.
Just like the vendors choosing their usual corners we all have our spots, our habits, our go-tos, our place we feel comfortable. But maybe every now and then, it’s good to shift just a little. To see who or what we might meet if we dared to set up somewhere new.
