When I discovered there was a Pause Cafe in Paris, I just had to drop by for a visit.

You’ll find outdoor cafes on pretty much every sidewalk in Paris.

But this one, at 41 Rue Charonne, seemed to have an especially friendly ambience on this sunny weekday afternoon.

And wouldn’t you know it? People seemed to be pausing at length to enjoy the day, the company and the food.

Smiles and chatter passed freely back and forth in the midst of the commotion generated by bicycles and scooters crowding onto the sidewalk, umbrellas and awnings flapping in the wind, waiters in constant motion between kitchen and tables – and of course, the traffic careening and sirens screaming on the street.

A few weeks later, back on this side of the Atlantic, I was delighted to stumble across ‘La Pausa’ in a new section of the Miami International Airport.

Maybe pausing will eventually catch on in the ‘New World’, too.

We can always hope!