Paris in Springtime

It is *never* about the destination. For all the writings about the beauty of the Eiffel Tower (have there BEEN any?), there are zillions more about the train ride, the people, the weather, the lights, the worries, the hopes, the fears, the experiences leading up to and back from, etc. 

All the photo of the tower is, is a reminder of all those other aspects -- to help bring them flooding back from the depths of your memory and allow them to wash over you. 

The same is true with everything else. Although we may have memories of the day we graduated from college or high school, we have many more memories of the years and events leading up to that culmination.

We may well poignantly remember the moment of a loved one's departure, but how many thousands upon thousands of bright stars twinkle in the heavenly sky of our shared experiences? 

Even the artifacts we choose to retain are but triggers that send us strolling down Memory Lane. A ring, a stuffed animal, a pressed leaf or flower, a certain food, the scent of lavender, a song.

A picture worth a thousand words? What an understatement. ~~GH