As I am writing this post, I am at Rizari Cafe in Pangrati. Kim and Abby brought Lauren and I here. It is more modern than most cafes in Greece and their caesar salad is amazing. I decided to come to get myself out of the house and in the mood to study Greek. The second hasn't been accomplished yet but I have gotten some work done! I'm currently listening to the music I've newly downloaded and attempting to load photos onto Shutterfly for my mom. As I am looking through the photos, I thought today would be a good day to write a little bit about my experience ice-skating on the Eiffel Tower.
Yes, I said it. I ice-skated ON the Eiffel Tower. On Christmas. After just having seen the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. As I'm writing this, I still question how this is my life. I am 24-years-old and have seen and experienced far more of the world than many people get to do in their lifetimes. And sometimes, I forget that and take my experiences for granted.
It's not on purpose; it's just that this is the only life I have ever known. From birth, my parents have taken me with them to explore the world and have done everything in their power to give me this life. As I have grown more aware of my privileges, I have begun to question if I will ever be able to show them my gratitude for what they've done. It overwhelms me sometimes when I think about it, because I know that the answer is no. No amount of money, no material objects could ever make up for all that they have given me. But there are some actions I try to take to make up for this debt that I owe them.
One of which is to be happy. Another is to recognize my privileges and to be grateful for what I have. So that is one of the reasons I wanted to mention this experience in my diary. The other is just how freaking cool it was! Here I am on Christmas Day, lacing my skates up, putting on my required mittens, and heading out to the rink. The skates were a bit wide so we all were wobbling quite a bit and I was a little unsure how my skating would be after a few years off but the minute my feet hit the ice, I began gliding somewhat gracefully around the rink. We stayed on that rink for as long as we could before it started getting crowded. Kevin and OV were trying to get with some girls, Brendan was showing off his hockey skills. After being away from each other for four months, everything seemed the same. Simply put, it was the perfect day. After we finished on the rink, we walked around the Christmas market, ate dinner, and headed home.
It's memories like this one that I will remember for the rest of my life. And it's memories like this one that I need to remember to be grateful for. Spending the day in Paris on the Eiffel Tower ice-skating with five of the people I love most in this world. Because we all know things can change in a split second.