WRITING PROMPT: If you could witness any historical event in the future, what would it be?

For me, that answer is simple: I want to witness the day our country steps back from the precipice. I think about this daily as we stand just 70 days away from an election that will determine our national direction. I long for a future where our allies trust us again, where we look to the horizon as that “Shining City on a Hill,” and where our government sets an example of charity and morality rather than corruption.

But if I had to travel backward in time to find that same feeling of profound national relief, I know exactly where I would go.

Paris, May 8th, 1945: The End of an Era

I would choose to be in Paris on May 8th, 1945—V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day).

Just over a week prior, Adolf Hitler had committed suicide in his bunker, and Germany announced his death on May 1st. Across Europe, newsrooms burst into cheers, civilians flooded the streets, and Allied soldiers celebrated the end of a regime built on chaos and inhumanity.

Although Paris had been liberated nine months earlier, the trauma of the occupation still hung heavily over the population. When Germany’s unconditional surrender became official on May 8th, the anxiety evaporated. Massive celebrations sparked across the streets and rooftops of the City of Light. To see the champagne popping and feel the sheer, unadulterated relief of the Parisians would be a moment unlike any other in human history.

The Bond Between Two Sister Cities

Today, I look at my own hometown of Washington, D.C., and see a beautiful city under a different kind of shadow. Watching it transformed by hyper-nationalism, golden branding, and political ego breaks my heart.

It hurts precisely because Washington and Paris are historical twin sisters.

In 1791, President George Washington commissioned French engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant to design our federal capital. L’Enfant brought the grandeur of French Baroque planning to American shores:

• The Grid System: A functional network intersected by sweeping diagonal avenues.
• The High Points: Positioning the U.S. Capitol and the President’s House on prominent hills.
• The National Mall: A grand, open public walk designed to connect the branches of government to the people.

Waiting for a Restoration

Though I live in Southern California now, Washington remains a part of who I am. The city has undergone heavy changes—from sweeping structural overhauls to the controversial redesigns of the White House Rose Garden.

Even so, I look forward to a day of true restoration. I hope and pray we choose wisely in the coming weeks, so that our capital can once again feel like the beacon of democracy it was built to be.