During one of our long weekends in Oxford, a group of us have decided to make the trek to Paris. I was ecstatic when I found people who were just as interested as I was in exploring the city I fell in love with four years ago.
But as we were planning, I realized that our plans didn’t necessarily match up. One girl wanted to book a hotel room that was $300 a night. Another girl bought $60 tickets to skip the line and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. And everyone eagerly bought advance tickets for the Louvre.
And I decided not to do any of those things.
I’m calling it an executive decision. A decision to to stay where I want, with who I want. A decision not to spend my time in the beautiful city that is Paris retracing my steps from four years ago. A decision to explore, experience, and live Paris the way I want to.
Instead of spending precious hours and money on a view that doesn’t even include the most beautiful part of the city, I’ll picnic with bread, cheese, and wine at the base of the tower. Instead of braving crowds of tourists to see paintings I’ve already seen (as iconic as they may be), I’ll discover a local cafe with a view.
It’s a little scary to make the decision, but I’ve done it. After all, I’m the executive in my life, so I should make the decisions, despite what anyone else says. The decision to diverge from the group is a decision to put myself above others for once and truly enjoy my time in the city I love.
And I feel the need to clarify that I’m not leaving the group. There are plenty of things that we’ve planned to do together. However, there are a few things that I’ve planned not to do, and I’ve talked to a few other people who have decided to do the same.