I got my phone stolen in Paris and ultimately ended up with a life changing quote that I’m excited to use for the rest of my life…

I recently visited Paris. I had heard the warnings about pickpocketing for years, but I was on high alert this time because my cousin got his phone stolen there a year ago. It was basically the first thing we talked about when we met at the airport. <br><br>Luckily I’m not the type of person who keeps my phone in my pocket. I tend to keep my phone in my front waistpack. I would say my luck was extra strong because in the 5 times I got my phone stolen, none of those times had my phone actually been in my pocket. So my phone was safe, but my luck was about to run out, because this time it was my brother who was about to fall victim. My brother and I had just gotten out of the subway and we were walking down the stairs, both distracted by the map on our phone (precarious position to be in, I know). The moment we reached the bottom, a man pushed hard against us, shoved us against the wall, and sprinted off with my brother’s phone. It was like something out of a movie. My brother ran towards me, mouth open, eyes wide, and said “my phone! My phone!”. My first thought was, damn. Now that his phone is gone, how are we going to get to the hotel? But the universe had already one upped me. He had the address of the hotel saved on his phone, and in our hurry to leave the airport, I forgot to write down the hotel’s address. <br><br>So here we were, standing in a foreign country with both of our phones full of google maps, neither of which had any cell phone reception. I can’t even start to describe the panic that had set in inside of us. We walked around for a good hour, looking at everyone with a mixture of fear and resentment, asking locals for directions, and watching in agony as riches escaped our grasp in every direction. Looking back, I can’t believe we didn’t run into any other tourists during that whole hour. We really felt like we were all alone. The fear of being lost and stranded in a foreign country with no way of communicating with anyone is intense. <br><br>After a long and grueling journey, we managed to find the hotel, and to our surprise, my brother didn’t really seem that shaken up. He even seemed a little relieved. <br><br>It was strange. He didn’t seem too worried or panicked, and he was just talking about what had just happened as if it was any other thing that had happened to him. I asked him “dude, aren’t you pissed off that your phone just got stolen?”. He thought for a second and then he said “yeah. I was really worried when it happened, but I really don’t care anymore. It’s just a phone. I have insurance on it, and having one is a given in today’s world anyways. I’d much rather have the story of getting my phone stolen in Paris than a working phone anyways.” <br><br>And that’s when it hit me. I realized that, yeah, even though the situation was inconvenient and difficult, it was kind of cool to have had an experience like that. I realized that I was letting the anxiety of the situation overshadow the fact that it was a pretty cool experience to have had. I realized that I’d rather have the story of getting my phone stolen in Paris than a working phone like he said. <br><br>There was something about the innocence and simplicity of how he said it that really made an impression on me. And that’s when he quoted to me something that one of his friends had once told him. Something that really changed my perspective on life. <br><br>“Well yeah, I’d much rather have the story of getting my phone stolen in Paris than a working phone anyways.” <br><br>“That’s so true. Yeah, it’s not the material possession that’s important, it’s the story and the memory that comes from it, right?” <br><br>“Exactly.” <br><br>“Did your friend ever tell you what his uncle always told him?” <br><br>“Yeah. I’d much rather have the story of getting my phone stolen in Paris than a working phone anyways.” <br><br>I laughed, but he was being serious. “No, seriously.” <br><br>“Oh. Yeah he did actually. He said that his uncle always told him…” (pauses for dramatic effect) <br><br>“I’d much rather have the story of getting my phone stolen in Paris than a working phone anyways.” <br><br>This quote absolutely floored me. I had never thought of it like that before, but it was so simple yet so profound. It was the story, the journey, and the memory that was truly important, not the material possession itself. And this would prove to be a recurring theme for the rest of the trip. <br><br>Everywhere we went, we found ourselves really having deep conversations with locals. I think the fact that we didn’t have phones might have actually opened us up to more interaction. We especially had a lot of great conversations with our hotel concierge. He was French, and we were obviously American, so our accents were very different, and his English was good but not perfect, so it was a bit of a challenge to communicate at first. But that actually ended up being a blessing in disguise. Because every time we would go to the counter to ask him for directions, the first 2 minutes or so would just be him struggling to understand what we were saying, followed by us struggling to understand him. But after 5 minutes or so, we’d start to understand the nuances of his accent, and he would start to understand ours, and we’d have full conversations and be able to understand each other perfectly. It was beautiful. Because he would tell us everything that he knew about the city, and he’d be a great steward of the city. And we’d get to hear the story of how he came to Paris for college almost 40 years ago, and how he decided to stay. And we’d tell him about how we were both from New York but were living in San Francisco, and how we were both thinking about moving back to the city. And just the way that he would listen to everything we had to say, and just the way that he would smile and laugh, was like a warm hug. <br><br>And that was what made this trip so magical. On the surface, this trip was everything it was supposed to be. Paris did have the beauty, the charm, and the romance that I had envisioned. But what made this trip truly special was that it had the innocence, the purity, and the humanity that I didn’t envision. It was the story of the hotel concierge. And it was the memory of the hotel concierge. It was the journey of the hotel concierge. It was the story, the memory, and the journey that came from staying at that hotel. It wasn’t the material possession of the stay itself. It was the people that we met along the way, and the interactions that we had with them. <br><br>Whenever I hear the phrase “it’s about the journey, not the destination”, I feel like I’m hearing words from a wise old man who has learned this truth through decades of life experience. But what I learned on this trip is that it’s not just about the journey, it’s about the stories that you collect along that journey, and it’s about the memories that you create with the people that you meet along the way. And that’s what truly matters in life. And that’s what this trip to Paris taught me.<br><br>Edit:<br><br>Wow, thanks so much for all the kind words, everyone. I feel so grateful to have such a wonderful community like this, and I couldn’t be more happy that I got to share this story with you all. <br><br>Also, I wanted to address some of the questions that have been popping up. <br><br>1. Yes, we did file a police report. The cops were extremely nice and professional, but they didn’t do much to recover the phone. They basically just told us that it was gone and that it was unlikely that we would ever see it that again. <br><br>2. The reason why we couldn’t look up directions on my phone was because I had no cell phone reception on my phone despite having an international data plan. I’m still not really sure why it didn’t work. <br><br>3. We could have asked to use the phone at the hotel to call a taxi or an Uber, but we didn’t even think of it. We were pretty dumbfounded at the time, and weren’t thinking clearly at all. <br><br>4. I agree that having no way of communicating with each other is an issue. I wasn’t trying to suggest that having no phones was better. It’s more that after losing our phones, we stopped worrying so much about the inconvenience of having no phones and we just started enjoying the city.