Making History

                                         

There are things in life that pass by so quickly they seem like a blur. Like it didn't even happen. You reminisce on the memories like the movie you saw last week. There are things you did, moments you lived, that were at one time a dream and a distant hope and now, at this moment, you can say that you achieved those. You accomplished those dreams. 

Many times a dream remains just that: a dream. Only a few times life hands you the tools to go out and achieve what YOU want. 

        

Europe. Seriously, people! I traveled EUROPE. The Europeans that read this are going to be like 'Why is she making a big deal about about it?' I'm going to explain this to you (Americans) the was I had it explained to me by a European. It's like this: Take Europe and place it over America. Europe basically fits inside the continental United States. Traveling within countries in Europe is almost the same as traveling between states in America. (Other than they can ask for your passport at anytime and kick you out of the country part) In the US alone, you can see mountains, oceans, seas, prairies, etc. just by driving across the country, where in Europe, you may have to travel through four or five countries to get the the ocean or the mountains. To them (Europeans), we have it all. 

Now to my European friends, there is one major part the is missing from the wonderful land of the U, S, of A. History. I know, I know, we have some history. SOME. About enough to fit in the palm of my hand. The last war the was fought on American soil was the American Civil War which was Americans vs. Americans. The last foreign war was the War of 1812. (I googled that so don't dog me if I'm wrong.) Europe eat, sleeps, and breathes its history. The natives may not realize it, but as an outsider looking in, it's overwhelming. Every building had its own story, every person has a family that has been through who-knows-what. The building your standing in may have held captives during a war or the room you are sleeping in may have been the rooms of troops as the fought in the war. Good or bad. You never know. 

I've learned that while people grow and new generations form, history shapes us. Trust me, I HATE history. Ask anyone. History and Cassie have a long 'history' and it's not pretty. However, knowing ones history shapes a person. Learning the history of the people before me, people I have zero ties to, has changed me in ways I didn't know I wanted to be changed. I could only imagine what it would have done if I had known my family had been through what some had to go through. Unfortunately, my family isn't really into family history. I don't even know when my family came to America. Maybe that is the reason I struggle with history. I don't know. 

There are many things that happened in Europe that have left me a different person. Many I cannot put into words. Emotions that I will probably never feel again; emotions I never want to feel again; emotions that I will long to feel again.