Jordan ZangaroI wrapped my scarf a little tighter to keep the wind off my chest and tucked my Tube pass back in my purse. I walked up the beautiful stone stairs that were covered with tourists and locals eating lunch and enjoying the beautiful sunshine. I passed the breathtaking pink roses and follow the crowds of people into the door of the enormous cathedral. Immediately, I was at a loss for words.

I pulled out my eight pounds to pay to get in to tour St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. I did not know where to look first – the incredible details in the marble walls, the tombs in the floor, the beautiful alters, the dedication to Britain from the United States or the unbelievable murals painted on ceilings so that I could barely see the gold shimmer in the light.

As I walked down the halls and heard the stories over the fight people put up to make this Cathedral possible, I was shocked. I began to tear up. Not being a very religious person, I remember thinking about what my photography teacher said to me earlier that day in class: “All you will have left of this trip will be the photographs you take. You will forget how you felt and the moment will end.” Mind you, she was from Paris, so that is a paraphrase, and you can picture it in a horribly broken American accent that always made me laugh.

But she was right. I will never have the moment back. It is surprising to me how far away that day is now. As the snow continues to fall and my trip to London becoming a distant memory, I find myself trying to hold on to my time now.

It seems that we hold on to the wrong things and seem to let the good things slip away. But when I think back to my trip to London, I have a lot of memories like my one in St. Paul’s. I can remember the colors, the smells and the sounds. I remember how I felt and how it may even have changed my life in some small way.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the cathedral, so even though my teacher’s words were with me, I was not able to follow the advice. But, as a new year begins, maybe I can take more pictures and create more distinct memories of little moments that may have changed my life in some small way.