It is so funny how over time we grow and our minds tend to change. However, there are some passions that never leave our heads, those reoccurring dreams that we want so much to be a reality.

When I was about ten years old, I took the liberty to go through my mother’s mail. Upon finding an architectural magazine, I began to look through it… and every single house plan and style seemed to catch my attention. Some I fell in love with, some I hated. As a ten year old, I began to have an opinion about the world of architecture.

Next came the cardboard box…from a squirrel trap that my father had bought. (I will not go into detail on why we needed the squirrel trap…let’s just say the varmints were being a nuisance and needed to go.) Anyway, I took this simple cardboard box and began adding cardboard walls, beds, counters, TVs, stoves, chairs, tables, and even a toilet and bathroom sink.

I was enraptured in both the process and the knowledge that I could create something. But not just that, I also began to realize that I could create something that was so personal to my heart, but so relative to real life. From there, my passion skyrocketed. By my 14th birthday, I had downloaded my first home designer software, and later I was able to purchase a professional version. Now there was no stopping me. I would do anything to learn more about design, including discovering a variety of websites to study the various designs of houses.

Just last year, I began to broaden my love for architecture to include the commercial world in addition to my passion for the residential, by participating in a high school architectural program.

In a couple of weeks, I will meet the momentous Notre Dame Cathedral, the result of religion and pure gothic genius.

Wikimedia Commons: Ed Webster

However, I wonder if passion was a part of the design for this historic sanctuary? Did the architect start off by building with small pieces of wood - the spark of imagination - as I had done with my cardboard?

Wikimedia Commons: GermanMan92

As I go and explore the meaning of the stained glass and hear the stories of famed French coronations, I hope to discover the passion of the architect behind this work of art that has lasted for centuries and inspired countless visitors.

Wikimedia Commons: ThePromenader