They call me The Prophet of Paris. Wanna know more? But aren’t prophets supposed to be, y’know, mysterious and evasive and unscrutable and everything?

OK, listen, if a Yankee guy I know can send daily inspirational messages to millions of folks around the world in the name of The Universe (yeah, that little entity), I reckon I can get away with a cheeky little nod to the city I adopted, or did it adopt me? I really can’t remember.

If you’re wondering who ‘they’ are, I asked a couple of friends to call me The Prophet of Paris once, and they did (for the price of a coffee and a croissant) so I’m not lying, see?

But again, you could ask me, what am I pretending to be ‘the Prophet’ of, exactly? What am I prophesising?

The answer is: nothing (although I could prophesise the end of the world, if you like). It’s just that the words ‘prophet’ and ‘Paris’ seemed to go well together.

Maybe I should have set myself up as a bad-tempered fiery featured old wizard, with a long flowing beard and crazy eyes and a big magic staff, mesmerising you with my images and weaving spells with my words.

But that’s not really my style, there are enough loonies in that space already, I reckon.

Or what about an exotic gypsy fortune teller? I could try to grow what’s left of my hair long again, and shove long hoop earrings into my closed up holes and gaze into my crystal ball or the lines on your hand or the leaves in your teacup and mutter mad nonsense into the night.

Guess what? That’s not really my style either. What I do like doing, though, is rambling. Roaming over whatever comes to me about life, the universe and everything as I spin this sphere below me with these weary feet of mine.

So, I’m not prophesising, but I am sharing whatever I’ve learnt in over five and a half decades on this blue, green and increasingly grey planet of ours. Or should I say this planet my species relentlessly devours, forgetting it’s the only place we have to stand.

I have a philosophy which I’ve developed and refined over the years, and refining really means simplifying, for the simpler the better, I think. And that philosophy is: to appreciate the present moment as much as possible and to try to be quite happy and content, whatever the situation I’m in. I have more elaborate versions, but that’s it in a nutshell.

I prefer to be creating photos and poems and paintings and prose rather than telling people how to lead their lives, but my Today’s The Day project is very close to my heart, which is why I’m developing it on this new website.

As for me, I’m just an ordinarily wonderful, averagely screwed-up, eternal optimist, recovering nihilist, born in Scotland, grew up in England, adopted by France guy having current fun playing around with thoughts and words and souls and smiles while the sun shines. Thanks for joining me, it’s much more interesting with good company.

I invite you to post your ‘Today’s the day…’ in our Facebook group as often as you like. And comment on other folks’ TTDs too. Thank you for being part of this and for choosing to live a great life, loving every sunrise to sunset, today and every day.

~ The Prophet of Paris 

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