Is There Such Thing as Coincidence?
Back in Paris and I don't know why. Plus wise words from a friend.
There is a saying that what happens once only happens once, and what happens twice surely happens a third time. This is my third summer in Paris. In the same apartment on the 8th floor and with an unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower. An apartment I found by talking to a stranger at a coffee shop.
They say it’s almost impossible to find apartments in Paris, especially good ones. People spend years searching for the perfect one and rarely to find it, especially on the first try. Too small, too old, no view, small windows, too hot, too cold, no elevator, ground floor. Yet somehow I found my second home after a simple conversation with the guy making my coffee when I was only passing through Paris. It happened effortlessly, in perfect timing.
I live in Austin, Texas most of the year. But each summer, I find myself here again drawn back by something I can’t quite explain.
What If?
It’s a story worth telling because it feels like a movie. I’d been invited to come to Germany to film a video, and afterwards I came to Paris for three days with some friends. On the last day, I was working remotely from a coffee shop when the wifi went out. Frustrated, I gathered my things and wandered around the streets.
As I walked, I passed a shoe repair shop and peered through the window. A man was concentrated stitching together the sole of a shoe. It was a simple thing, but it lit my flame for Paris. The idea that walking around you can witness people working on their craft. The idea that all you have to do in Paris is go on a walk and the world will entertain you. A thought bubbled in my head…what if I could stay in Paris longer? This is the story of that “what if.”
Eventually, I found another coffee shop with decent wifi and I ducked inside. In classic American fashion, I asked the barista, “How are you?” He seemed a bit taken aback by my question but made conversation about my camera which was dangling around my neck.
After a few espressos and work calls later, I went up to pay and we chatted a bit more about photography. Then something unexpected came out of my mouth, “Do you happen to know anyone in Paris who has a room for rent?” I blurted out and surprised even myself. He looked confused, but said he’d ask around and we exchanged numbers.
At around midnight, he texted, “I found you the perfect place. My friend is traveling this summer and she is open to renting you her room. It’s the most beautiful flat in Paris.”
My jaw dropped when his friend, Noémie, sent me photos of her apartment. I didn’t even have time to see it in person because I was leaving Paris for Amsterdam the next day. But we agreed I’d come back in two weeks and stay for almost a month. That was the summer of 2023.
That’s the year I fell in love with this city. With Paris in the summer. With the cafes and tiny coffee cups, the artist ateliers, the boulangeries, the bookstores, the pool on the Seine. With biking around the city and taking the metro and discovering new hidden corners of the city every single day. With becoming a regular at my corner café and making new friends. It’s a city that inspires creativity and encourages you to dream.
Last summer, I came back. Noémie was traveling again for the summer and I jumped at the chance to stay at her apartment, this time for 3 months.
Are things meant to be?
Fast forward to April 2025. Just a few months ago I was in Austin with the looming Texas heat. I decided that if a third summer in Paris was meant to be, it would unfold without forcing things. I listed my house on Facebook Marketplace and waited. Three days later, I’d found a tenant. The only thing left was finding a place to stay in Paris.
I hadn’t heard from Noémie and assumed she wasn’t traveling. So I scoured Airbnb, but everything felt wrong. Wrong neighborhood, too small, too expensive, no views. Finally, I texted her.
“It is totally possible. About when do you think it would be ? I don’t have travel plans but if you want to come, I can make plans,. If you are coming, it means I am meant to be elsewhere.” she replied. This was the sign I needed. Without forcing things, summer in Paris was about to happen… again.
I arrived on a Sunday evening on a flight coming from Tangier, Morocco. As I ascended from the underground station, I was greeted by big blue skies and the big red METRO sign. Once on ground level, I spotted the familiar “Au Metro” brasserie on the corner and broke into a smile. A city teeming with life.
Nothing could dampen my spirits. I was walking down Rue Claude Decaen yet again, going up the tiny elevator to the top floor, through the teal blue door, and into the magic apartment. The sun glittered gold as I settled back into the familiar room.
As Noémie always says, it’s not even surprising anymore. We both have this feeling that our lives are connected in some strange way. What surprises me (and doesn’t) is our friendship. We’ve only met in person twice, yet it feels like we’ve known each other forever. How can two people, connected by a guy making coffee, have such intertwined lives?
“You coming is a great opportunity for me to take some fresh air too, I will head to Portugal” she had said. It’s strange, this mutual understanding with someone who also believes in the magic of the universe. That nothing is random, and when something crosses your path, there’s probably a reason. She doesn’t question that. Neither do I. We both accept this is exactly where we’re supposed to be, even if we don’t know why.
Action or Surrender? Wise Words from a Friend
Last week, I had a conversation with my friend and mentor, Ron. He asked why I’m in Paris again, beyond just enjoying it. Summer 2023 was spontaneity. Summer 2024 was for attempting to write my book but then surrendering to other events that happened. But what about 2025?
I’ve been searching for an answer and haven’t found one. Am I here just to enjoy life? To meet someone? For a career shift? A creative project? I don’t know. No big revelations. No one remarkable I’ve met. No career-changing moment. I’ve been writing (but not the book). I can’t help but wonder: is there something more?
Yesterday I met up with my friend Iris. We met at a park in Paris in 2023 and kept up our friendship. When talking about our uncertain future, she suggested that it’s hard to even picture what our lives will look like in 5 years and that’s okay. She asked if, five years ago, I ever imagined I’d be living in Paris for the summers. Of course not. Never in my wildest dreams. Some things we just can’t plan for, and that’s okay.
“But how do we know when to act and when to leave it up to fate?” I asked.
She told me about her job search last year. She’s a French teacher and had an idea to teach in Hong Kong. She applied over and over, heard nothing. So she kept her online clients and moved through Brazil and Ecuador. Just as she was wrapping up in Ecuador, she got an offer for a three-month job in Hong Kong.
Coincidentally (or not) she was on a call with one of her long-time students who lives in Hong Kong when the job offer came through. He simultaneously got a text from a friend looking to rent her place in Hong Kong. It all unfolded perfectly, from her job to her housing. There is no doubt Hong Kong is where she is meant to be.
It’s these stories that give me hope and remind me to trust the quiet work of the universe. Even when nothing seems to be happening, something often is. We do what we can: take the chances, ask the questions, send the texts. And then, we let go.
There is a dance between action and surrender. It not always easy to find its rhythm. But it’s people like Noémie and Iris, and moments like these summers in Paris, that remind me: Not everything needs to make sense right away. Sometimes, the meaning arrives later. And sometimes, just showing up is the point.
Loved reading this story! Looking back it’s sometimes easy to connect the dots and it can seem like it was a made up story from the start but really it’s just a sequence of choices that, combined with an openness for opportunities (that we sometimes create ourselves ;) , leads to great stories like this one. I’m a believer of making your own “luck” 🍀
I mean, do you need a reason to be in Paris? It’s Paris! 😀