When things are new and exciting everything is wonderful all the time. A new lover, a new city, a new puppy; exciting and wonderful all the time. Time has a way of dulling that and everything starts to fall into a sort of routine. Netflix and chill becomes, no, I want to watch this. Puppy breath gives way to stinky dog. New cities become noisy, traffic congested, tourist traps.
I am still awed when I walk down the street, turn left, and BAM! There she is in all her glory, the Eiffel Tower. I imagine it’s like seeing the Hollywood sign for the first time, or the Statue of Liberty. I also imagine it will eventually become as mundane as the Hollywood sign did for me. Don’t get me wrong, I fucking love that sign and get a crooked smile on my face anytime I head north on Gower, but… the magic of it gets forgotten until I notice someone noticing it for their first time, you know?
Then I get this vicarious joy and sense of pride. Welcome to Hollywood. We have magic. And maybe, because she made me, I have some of that magic, too.
In Paris I am the new guy discovering so much of her magic for the first time. But I am acutely aware that in time the newness will abate and I will become just another Parisian living in the minutiae that makes up most of this life.
I’m not there yet. I am still at the stage where I take pictures and send them first to my eight year old niece and wait for her reaction before I share them with you all. She wants to come here – always has according to my brother – so I try to give her a glimpse. Sharing this with her makes me that much giddier about the entire experience.
That said, tonight, I had a young man – I would guess between 17-19 years old – remind me that this city is filled with magic. I was walking on a bridge across the Seine and he almost bumped into me because he was walking and gazing at the Eiffel Tower.
Can you believe it? It’s really real! It’s not just in movies!
I wanted to hug him. I regret not saying, let’s you and me take a selfie in front of it. He saw the magic.
You know, if I ever get bored with it all I will just walk down here and take in all the people discovering her magic for the first time, I said to The Gorgeous Blonde.
Between you and me, I don’t think I will ever get tired of the magic of this city.
There is too much magic here for that.
