The fortune teller at a Senior Prom I went to in high school told me I was going to meet the love of my life in Paris.
In May of 2018, I spent four days in that magical city.
Paris is one of those places that lives up to all the hype people give it.
I had the best meal of my life in France. Saw the most beautiful buildings and museums while I was there. Sipped on tea at the lavish Laduree in the heart of the city. Walked by street artists selling their paintings by the Seine River. And last but certainly not least, visited the iconic and beautiful Eiffel Tower.
I waited in a 2 hour long line to climb the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, and it was worth every minute of sore feet. I ate my first macaroon at the shop on the second floor and gazed out at the view of the entire city from the top. While I was up there I thought, “Is this real life?” It was surreal.
That night, after eating another incredibly delicious meal at a restaurant where our waiter didn’t speak any English (Mamma Primi, if you're ever in the city), I went back to the Eiffel Tower with a bottle of wine I purchased at Franprix (a convenient store) and spent the whole night drinking Pinot Grigio while staring at the monumental structure in front of me.
The Eiffel Tower is just as enchanting as people say it is. During the evening, its lights flicker every hour on the hour for five full minutes. It’s enormous and romantic in the best ways possible, and on that night in May 2018, I was looking up at it, not knowing when I’d lie under it again, thinking about how sweet my life had been for all of study abroad. Paris was my last trip before I packed my bags and went home. I felt so blessed to be able to do what some people never get the chance to in their lifetime.
To break the bad news to you, I didn’t meet the man I’m going to marry in Paris that weekend. I saw a man propose to his girlfriend at the Eiffel Tower and witnessed moments of love in other parts of the city, but none of them involved me.
I went there knowing that it was highly, highly unlikely that I’d meet my person, but at the same time, I’d be lying if I said a part of me wasn’t holding onto hope.
Except the other day I was thinking about this entire scenario. From the fortune teller to the Eiffel Tower and all the happenstances in between, and that’s when it hit me.
I did meet the love of my life in Paris. He didn’t get down on one knee and ask me to spend forever with him. He didn’t pop out a ring that I was madly in love with. He didn’t plan a surprise proposal with hidden photographers scattered around nearby.
She was present during every second of that weekend, though. She was there in the Eiffel Tower’s flickering lights, in the French food served by French men, in the tea sipped on in the middle of the city, in the Mona Lisa and in the rest of the Louvre, in the most confusing metro known to man, and in everything she thanked the world for.
Paris is a lover’s dream. It’s absolutely breathtaking and drenched in romance. You can feel it the second you land. You can feel it from thousands of miles away, too.
But love does not come in one shape or form. It’s not just meant for two people in a committed relationship. Love is for anyone and everyone who decides to see it in all that’s around them.
I think that for those people out there who aren’t in a relationship, who are still looking for their person, know that the love of your life can be yourself. There’s no sense in reserving your love when you have every reason to give to yourself.
I’m a proponent for being the love of your own life until you find the love of your life. It would be a damn shame to let all that love go to waste when you could treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated.
So, my words for Paris— Thank you for being so sweet to me; for living up to my expectations in every aspect of the word. I had dreamt of you for years and couldn’t wait to take that trip at the end of my abroad experience.
And who knows, maybe I’ll go back and run into the man who’ll be my husband. Or maybe that was all the Paris I was allotted in one lifetime. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but either way, I found love in Paris. I mean, how couldn’t you?
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