Because long after your return, you are filled with an awe-inspiring sense that the world is your oyster and ripe for the picking.

Got back from France last Sunday, with lots of stories to tell pictures of food to share. (More on that soon.) Walking around sunny, snow-covered Brooklyn today, nothing in my immediate frame of reference was different than usual. Yet I was overcome with a giddiness I haven’t felt since eighth grade when I started reading non-fiction and realized the entire universe was at my disposal through books.

Once it’s been cracked open a bit, even when life goes back to normal there’s a magic to it. I’m seeing possibility everywhere, and it’s totally intoxicating. I love this feeling – let’s see how long I can make it last!