Paris: Then and Now

I took this photo 23 years ago on a Canon PowerShot A70 compact digital camera. Nothing fancy.

And yet it captured a moment that I can still feel over two decades later.

The chill of the air on a crisp autumn morning.

The thrill of being in one of the world’s most iconic cities.

And the sense that my life was only just beginning.

Over the years, I’ve stared at this photo hundreds of times. And I’ve longed for the day when I would go back to recapture that feeling.

A few months ago, I did.

But I couldn’t.

It’s still a beautiful place. And I was grateful to return.

But it wasn’t the same.

And rather than feeling disappointed, it made me appreciate that first encounter even more.

Wonder lives in a moment, not a place.

I’ll always have (that) Paris.

🇫🇷 Paris, France, October 2003