freedom

i was just sitting here thinking about when andrea and i were in paris. the evening we finally went to the champs elysees, we walked up and down the boulevard and made it to the arc de triomphe. it was late afternoon and the sun was setting. there was a tribute going on at the base of the arc, commemorating some soldiers. a band was playing, and spectators gathered around the arc and across the street.

when it was finally over, we made it under the street and up to the base of the arc. we climbed the steps to the top, and the sun was about to disappear behind the horizon. it was a perfect view of paris on a fall day. the air was crisp, but not numbing. the sky was bright, lit up with orange and pinks amidst whips of clouds on the horizon, easing into white, gray, then light blue. we took pictures, laughed, talked with people, and absorbed the evening. as we descended to the bottom, we took the time to enjoy the sculptures on the arc. large flood lights were embedded in the ground and pointed right to them, illuminating the details. we ran around all 4 points of the arc, strategically standing over the floodlights to try and get an eerie photo basked in the glow.

that night, it felt like we spent an eternity there, when in fact it only was a few hours. i think it was because i finally let go of everything - i was on vacation. i was free to release the worries of everyday life and live in the moment in it's truest sense. it's really hard to do when you are thinking about it. but as i reminisce about that evening, i didn't even realize i was doing it. i had let go of everything. i felt relaxed, playful, and at ease. i felt happy. it was one of the best days i can remember.