It’s such an enormous compliment when readers tell me that La Parachute feels like an “escape,” “a secret garden,” and an “open window.” Because that is very much what this portal is for me. A place to wash away the worries of the day, world even, to explore and contemplate, to indulge, muse, play and delight. When the world is on its head, it can feel inappropriate to wax lyrical about a sunset or a bunch of flowers or a hand-painted wallpaper. But I do believe that there is respite and perspective in gazing at a Rothko, or watching a flock of gulls take flight. And more then ever, we all need a bit of both.