Birthdays are always a time of reflection, at least for me. I reflect on where I am and where I want to be, not in the physical sense but as to what I’ve accomplished and what I’ve yet to do.
I have to admit, when I’m traveling, which I often like to do around my birthday, I become less introspective and more absorbed by the new sights and sounds around me. Travel has a way of pulling me into the present moment, heightening my awareness of unfamiliar streets, architecture, colors, and rhythms. I want to absorb everything, remember it all. I’m grateful for the spontaneity of phone photography in helping me do so.
This year, however, I didn’t feel the urge to travel. What I did want was a celebratory lunch somewhere visually inspiring.
I chose JNcQUOI which is a stylized version of the French phrase “je ne sais quoi,” that indefinable quality that makes something special. There are several locations in Lisbon, but my choice was JNcQUOI Asia, known for its menu of Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and Indian cuisines, and for its extraordinary decor.
The space is a feast for the eyes: enormous windows, a gorgeous garden with lush greenery, deep tones, golden light, and a massive dragon skeleton suspended mid-flight among floating, red lanterns.
As I sat there taking in the colors, textures, and ambience, I noticed a woman looking at me. It took me a few seconds to realize she was me, my own reflection in an enormous, otherwise unnoticed mirror which expanded the room and reflected the light, creating the illusion of a larger space, another table and another version of myself.
So here is my birthday selfie… a glimpse into an expanded awareness of parallel realities. 
