“Every problem is a gift – without problems we would not grow.” ― Tony Robbins

I’ve been in Paris for over a week now.

But instead of enjoying the sights in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, I’ve been mostly visiting the inside of the Georges Pompidou Hospital.

My plan was to hit the ground running here in the “City of Light” with tours and cooking classes and everything else but instead…

I got hit with a serious nail infection that resulted from a salon manicure I had in Atlanta a few weeks ago. The medical term for the infection is a paronychia and excuse my French, but that shit hurts!

Combine that with the worst jet lag ever and you have a pretty rocky beginning to what was supposed to be a wonderful trip.

It all started with swelling and gradually became worse over the next few days. Of course, my first instinct was to look up my symptoms on the internet and sure enough, it looked and sounded like I had a severe paronychia.

I got an appointment with the nearest “general” doctor, who instructed me to soak my finger in alcohol. That didn’t work AT ALL.

Then, I looked up some home remedies and started soaking my finger in lemon juice and hot water, which helped with the pain but didn’t do anything for the infection that was growing under my skin. I’ll spare you the actual visual but basically, the skin around my nail was starting to look like I had gangrene!

It was time to get myself to the nearest emergency room.

Once I got to the hospital, it took some patience and a divine sense of calm to communicate the care I needed when maybe 1 out of 10 medical personnel spoke any English whatsoever. Using my remedial French and lots of gestures, I finally got in to see a specialist.

The doctor confirmed my biggest fear – the only way to fix the issue was to have surgery on my finger to remove the infection.

***

The night before surgery, I go to dinner at Le Poincaré, an open air bistro/cafe on the corner near my hotel.

The wind is cool as the sun sets on the city like a blanket.

I order steak and frites and eat slowly, savoring every bite like it’s my last meal.

I relish my glass of vin rouge and fall in love with the restaurant’s famous Nutella & Speculoos tiramisu for dessert.

I sip my espresso, annoyed at the situation that’s messing up my travel plans, but I also notice a strange sense of relief.

It’s the feeling of letting go of my need for control. It’s giving myself permission to slow down and listen to what my body needs right now – rest and healing.

Needless to say, being stuck in a hospital in a foreign country gave me a chance to reflect on some important spiritual reminders.

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Back in November, I treated myself to the good life for a week in Mexico!

The first resort I stayed at was Sandos Cancun Luxury Experience Resort. This was an all-inclusive resort, meaning all your meals, cocktails and many amenities are included in the cost of your room – even 24-hour room service!

Sandos Cancun was definitely the kind of place you go to chill ALL the way out for a week-long vacation. In fact, one of my favorite afternoons was spent on the beach just eating, drinking tamarind margaritas and falling asleep to the waves.

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