La Ville-Lumière (Sketch #2)

It was just one of those moments. One of those moments that only lasted but a few seconds, but in retrospect it seemed to last a lifetime. One of those moments that I will not forget for the rest of my life. It was the moment I reached the top of the Eiffel Tower.

It began with the huffing and puffing of my family as we climbed the many stairs to the top. My dad always thought that elevators were for the handicapped, so we were the ‘fortunate’ people who took the last time slot to climb the 1600 stairs to the platform. When we finally made it, I couldn’t help but run to the side of the railing and try to look down as far as the safety net would let me.

Peering over the side, I could see the sparkling lights all around me. The Eiffel tower seemed to glisten like the beacon of Paris. The city lights below were tiny sparks reminding me of the life way below me. If I squinted my eyes enough, I could see the miniature people down below roaming around town. My eyes were as big as saucers.

Even from way up high, I could hear cars honking to try to get people to move. Around me were tourist of many nationalities, so I could hear conversations in French, Italian, Spanish, and even some I didn’t even recognize. Holding a fresh baguette in my hand, the warmth heated up my freezing hands. The snow was beginning to fall faster now, and the flakes landed upon my jacket covering me in a layer of frost.

All of my senses seemed to be on fire as I tried to write this moment into my memory, worried it could be gone forever.

For most people, seeing something like the Eiffel Tower would be exciting, but for me it was more like a fairytale dream come true. Ever since I was little, my room had been filled with Paris and Eiffel Tower mementos: from lamps and books to snow globes and tiny statues. It created burning desire in me to go there. I begged my mom constantly, and even saved up every dollar I possibly could for years. Then one day, my mom announced we were going because I had saved $500 (obviously not enough to pay for the trip, but she knew how much this would impact me). That alone was enough to make me faint. The pinaccle moment of the trip was once I arrived to the top of the tower because it was as if so many of my dreams were coming to a peak. I couldn’t help but cry. I know it sounds cheesy, but for a middle school girl it was the most exciting event to ever occur to me.

 That day was the beginning of me realizing that I can make my dreams come true. Not in a lame way like some movies make it seem, but in a much deeper way. Since then, I have become a much more passionate person: about life, about others’ lives, and about how I think about everything. I began making thoughtful goals and finding ways to reach them. I began finding ways to become closer to my family and friends. I try to find things I love so I can go after them wholeheartedly. I know it may seem like a stretch from just a short trip, but the sparkles from that tower just continue to create sparks in my life.