I walk out of my dorm in the morning, afternoon or evening of a stressful day. I seem to be wandering aimlessly towards the national mall, but I have a destination in place.
It is the same place I went my very first night at GW, a place where I have always felt safe and calm. This is where I realized that I was meant to be here.
I walk past the White House and the Washington Monument and down past the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial. As I walk up the steps, I am greeted by a sea of tourists taking pictures of the mall.
Some are making the typical pose all tourists are guilty of doing; posing as if they are holding the top of the Washington Monument. Others are standing in the same place that Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his ever-important ‘I Have a Dream’ speech on the steps of the Lincoln.
I walk past these people and around the back of the monument, to the side that faces the Potomac River.
There, I can sit on the cool, white stone of the monument and feel the warm sun as I watch the cars enter and exit the District. Here, you'll find me completely at ease. This side of the memorial is quiet, with maybe 5-10 other people on the entire side. Though it is only a few yards away from the mass of tourists on the other side, it feels as though it is worlds away from the “real world” I came to walk away from.
I love where I live, I love the people I go to school with and I love the things I am doing here; but every once in a while you need an escape, and this is what the back of the Lincoln Memorial is for me.
Very few people, especially tourists, take the time to go to the back part of the Lincoln because there are no landmarks or national monuments for them to take a photo of, as a result, it is a quiet haven in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the country.
Other students should take the time to see the district from a different perspective. Here, it is as though all of your problems disappear and you can just focus on the flow of traffic as the sun reflects off the river and onto the white memorial.
When I feel as though I have relaxed or simply feel at ease, I stand up and walk back towards the front steps of the Lincoln. Just for a moment on this short walk, I can see the Washington Monument and its reflection in the pool, and for a moment, it seems like I am the only person at the Mall.
The back of the Lincoln Memorial is my favorite place in the District and one where I can always find the peace and stress-relief that I am usually looking for.
