I have always been absolutely fascinated by St.Paul. Bright lights, big city, thousands of people- every aspect is absolutely intriguing to me. I've always wanted to walk the streets and just lose myself in the lights. On Wednesday, that's exactly what I did.
My friend Taylor picked me up in her bright yellow Slug Bug Wednesday night and we went and got coffee. Darkness was creeping in, people were turning on their Christmas lights. "They're so beautiful!" she said. "I wonder how they look in St.Paul" I replied. "Let's go! Get in" she said, I was surprised. I was so excited to go to the big city. She is a crazy driver, I wasn't sure if I should trust her driving in St.Paul. Regardless of my fears, I got into her car. "So, where exactly are we going?" I asked. "Rice Park, of course," she replied. I wasn't sure what Rice Park was, but I was ready for an adventure.
Rice park is a large park in St.Paul, known for it's fabulous display of Christmas lights. Only problem is.... she didn't know how to get there. So, we decided to just go exploring, stopping at everything we found interesting. We saw a five star hotel, with a doorman that had a top hat on. We parked, then got out and asked the sweet, old man for a picture with him. "You see, I would be absolutely honored to take a picture with you two, but I am on duty" he kindly denied. The old man smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes shifted. We thanked him, and decided to keep walking down the street. There were people weaving around us, either talking loudly on their cell phones or holding the hand of their lover. The feeling of walking somewhere unknown was exciting. I was consumed by an overwhelming amount of happiness. I knew that I belonged in the big city.
Looking up, you could see an apartment building that looked like it was a thousand miles tall. On the balconies of each room, there were Christmas lights. A smile creeped across my face. I could picture myself out on a balcony of my own some day, with white lights dangling off the edge, looking up at the stars while drinking hot cocoa. "Taylor look!" I pointed, "We should rent an apartment here when we're in college, we could be room mates!" She laughed and said "Yeah, I'd love to live in a place like that!" We kept walking.
We could see a lot of lights dangling off trees in the distance. I wondered, could that be Rice Park? Even if it wasn't, I still wanted to check it out. We crossed a few more streets, stepping in puddles of slush so deep it covered my whole foot. My feet were soaked, but I didn't mind. When we got there, a big sign stretched across the walkway. "Welcome to Rice Park!" it said. We found it! The park was so beautiful. There were tall trees with white lights covering them everywhere you looked. Off to the right, a giant pine tree covered in all sorts of colors towered over the rest of the trees. It had a giant blue star on the top of it. I was blown away by the beauty of the place. Couples with hats and mittens linked arms and cuddled as they walked along the row of light covered trees. "Someday, I'm going to bring my husband here." I said, she smiled in agreement, "Same, I never want to leave." Neither of us did. How could you walk away from a place this beautiful?
An hour passed by and we had to start making the long, cold walk back to her yellow Slug Bug. With our wet shoes squeaking as we walked, we crossed the streets and made our way back to her car. I was sad leaving, but I knew I would go there again. I remembered how to get there now, it was imprinted in the back of my mind like a tattoo. I will never forget that feeling of true happiness I felt as I walked through Rice Park.
This adventure opened my eyes. In a weird way, it made me appreciate everything my parents do for me more than I already do. They don't need to buy me Christmas presents, they don't need to fill my gas tank every other week. Regardless of the pointless arguments my family and I get into, I still wouldn't be here with out them.
When I got home, I walked through the front door. I went up to my mom, hugged her and said "Thank you, mom. For everything you have ever done for me, and everything you will do for me in the future. I just want you to know that I appreciate you, and I love you very much." A tear rolled down her cheek. "What was that for?" she asked. "Thats just everything I should have already said." I hugged her again, and went upstairs.
You know, getting lost in something you love can really show you a lot about yourself. It showed me that I need to respect and appreciate everything I have in a new way. I already appreciate it all, but I never tell my mom that. That's going to change this year.
My friend Taylor picked me up in her bright yellow Slug Bug Wednesday night and we went and got coffee. Darkness was creeping in, people were turning on their Christmas lights. "They're so beautiful!" she said. "I wonder how they look in St.Paul" I replied. "Let's go! Get in" she said, I was surprised. I was so excited to go to the big city. She is a crazy driver, I wasn't sure if I should trust her driving in St.Paul. Regardless of my fears, I got into her car. "So, where exactly are we going?" I asked. "Rice Park, of course," she replied. I wasn't sure what Rice Park was, but I was ready for an adventure.
Rice park is a large park in St.Paul, known for it's fabulous display of Christmas lights. Only problem is.... she didn't know how to get there. So, we decided to just go exploring, stopping at everything we found interesting. We saw a five star hotel, with a doorman that had a top hat on. We parked, then got out and asked the sweet, old man for a picture with him. "You see, I would be absolutely honored to take a picture with you two, but I am on duty" he kindly denied. The old man smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes shifted. We thanked him, and decided to keep walking down the street. There were people weaving around us, either talking loudly on their cell phones or holding the hand of their lover. The feeling of walking somewhere unknown was exciting. I was consumed by an overwhelming amount of happiness. I knew that I belonged in the big city.
Looking up, you could see an apartment building that looked like it was a thousand miles tall. On the balconies of each room, there were Christmas lights. A smile creeped across my face. I could picture myself out on a balcony of my own some day, with white lights dangling off the edge, looking up at the stars while drinking hot cocoa. "Taylor look!" I pointed, "We should rent an apartment here when we're in college, we could be room mates!" She laughed and said "Yeah, I'd love to live in a place like that!" We kept walking.
We could see a lot of lights dangling off trees in the distance. I wondered, could that be Rice Park? Even if it wasn't, I still wanted to check it out. We crossed a few more streets, stepping in puddles of slush so deep it covered my whole foot. My feet were soaked, but I didn't mind. When we got there, a big sign stretched across the walkway. "Welcome to Rice Park!" it said. We found it! The park was so beautiful. There were tall trees with white lights covering them everywhere you looked. Off to the right, a giant pine tree covered in all sorts of colors towered over the rest of the trees. It had a giant blue star on the top of it. I was blown away by the beauty of the place. Couples with hats and mittens linked arms and cuddled as they walked along the row of light covered trees. "Someday, I'm going to bring my husband here." I said, she smiled in agreement, "Same, I never want to leave." Neither of us did. How could you walk away from a place this beautiful?
An hour passed by and we had to start making the long, cold walk back to her yellow Slug Bug. With our wet shoes squeaking as we walked, we crossed the streets and made our way back to her car. I was sad leaving, but I knew I would go there again. I remembered how to get there now, it was imprinted in the back of my mind like a tattoo. I will never forget that feeling of true happiness I felt as I walked through Rice Park.
This adventure opened my eyes. In a weird way, it made me appreciate everything my parents do for me more than I already do. They don't need to buy me Christmas presents, they don't need to fill my gas tank every other week. Regardless of the pointless arguments my family and I get into, I still wouldn't be here with out them.
When I got home, I walked through the front door. I went up to my mom, hugged her and said "Thank you, mom. For everything you have ever done for me, and everything you will do for me in the future. I just want you to know that I appreciate you, and I love you very much." A tear rolled down her cheek. "What was that for?" she asked. "Thats just everything I should have already said." I hugged her again, and went upstairs.
You know, getting lost in something you love can really show you a lot about yourself. It showed me that I need to respect and appreciate everything I have in a new way. I already appreciate it all, but I never tell my mom that. That's going to change this year.