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Do Something That Scares You My finger hovered over the "confirm and pay" button for a fraction of a second. Was I chickening out? I mean who passes on a roundtrip "no frills" fare to Paris for $339.80? I'd visited Paris before and knew enough French to get by. Was it because I would be traveling alone? Would alone mean lonely, or even scared? Well, there was only one way to find out. CONFIRM AND PAY. I rented an Airbnb apartment in the Montmartre district that became my cozy home away from home. While I needed to Metro into the more central areas of Paris each day, this location was quieter and much more reasonably priced than the city center. As soon as I got settled into the apartment I did a quick walk around the neighborhood to get my bearings, found a market, and stocked up on a few basics. The fifth floor apartment (no ascenseur!) had a tiny balcony where I sat, weather permitting, enjoying a view of the dome of Sacré-Coeur. There was an elementary school across the street, and each morning I heard the sounds of the school bell and children playing. As I frequented the neighborhood shops to replenish my supplies I began to feel more comfortable talking to the shopkeepers and my fellow patrons, and even stopped asking “Parlez-vous Anglais?” forcing myself to resurface all that French I took in elementary school, high school and college. Sometimes it was a success and other times my head spun at the rapid and unintelligible responses. While I was waiting in a long line in the market one afternoon a woman standing behind me vented her frustration at the wait. I only caught a few words - something about needing a second cashier - but I nodded sympathetically and offered “Oui, le service est lent.” One of my “must do’s” for this trip was to simply sit in a sidewalk cafe, take a deep breath, appreciate the opportunity to travel, and people watch. The experience did not disappoint. I made a late afternoon stop at an adorable cafe near the Luxembourg Gardens, took a front row seat, and ordered a Kir Royale. OK, I‘ll admit that I added a Croque Monsieur and fries for good measure! As I perched and watched people passing by I wondered about their life stories and even began to spin some of my own theories about them. I resisted asking for my check for some time - I wanted to savor the chance to be still and observe. Always being in a mad rush to the next thing isn’t sustainable, and for a brief time one lovely afternoon in Paris I stopped rushing through life. If I hadn’t taken that leap into the unknown I wouldn’t have come to understand that traveling alone isn't lonely or scary. It's an exhilarating, culturally enriching and confidence-building experience. With no travel partner to fall back on - and sometimes pushing beyond my comfort zone - I discovered just how capable I am.