Matt Caulfield

A Pocket Guide for the Flaneur of Life Matt Caulfield

Publisher Marketing: I am sure you have seen them. I usually see them at airports, where you have been up at an ungodly hour to catch your flight, you are tired, disorientated and grumpy, you have been lugging your luggage around, you have been queuing up, waiting your turn, getting bored and frustrated and sick of being battered, bumped into and treated like a total idiot. Then they turn up. The flaneur. They casually swan in with the smallest luggage you have ever seen (although, when you see them later on the holiday, they always seem to have the perfect outfit for the occasion), calm and unflustered, they are well dressed, relaxed and look damn good. They are smiling happily and are annoyingly polite. Somehow they end up ahead of you in the queue, they seem to get the best (or only) seats left in the departure lounge (or you see them sauntering to the private lounge and charm their way in), the fastest queue and, at the gate, you notice they have been upgraded! They take this with the calm polite modesty and remain pleasant to the end. They move with grace and elegance, all their movements are calm, measured and seemingly frustratingly slow, yet they seem to get everywhere before you, who have been rushing and flapping... Don't you just hate them! Well, that person is an flaneur of life. And you can be like that too! Anyone is capable of being a flaneur of life; it just takes a bit of practice, patience and following the advice in this pocket guide. You will learn how to be: Calm and collected. Mindful and aware. Able to chat to anyone about anything. Unburdened (with thoughts, actions and possession!). Unhurried and unflustered. Well dressed (not fashionable, but stylish). Able to carry yourself with grace and elegance. With slow deliberate movements. Unflustered and unhurried.