So, life has been busy and beautiful (per the usual), and something for which I am incredibly grateful for. We've celebrated birthdays with family, we've taken family vacations, searched for art and made some amazing memories along the way.
Memories are like magic. It's amazing the power of the mind. We can be anywhere doing anything and at any moment we can recall the scent of mom's perfume, or the way the house rang Christmas mornings. We can remember the immense feelings of love and joy as if we were still there, in that moment. Memories are magic- pulling us right back in time to the best days, or the worst (if you allow it). It's a special kind of day when you can relive some of your best moments, and I'm not talking the "high school glory days", nobody cares if you were #1 on the team (for real). I'm talking about the good days, when we'd pass notes in the halls. The days that we knew each other's locker combos, shared clothes, lunches, gossip, and laughs.
Some people always say that high school was the "best". I beg to differ. I think from my experience, middle school was a much better and exciting experience. My Journalism teacher from middle school, Mrs. DeVries, made it a point to stop by our home over the weekend. She hasn't seen me since I was a kid- and she was exactly as I remembered. We welcomed her into our home with snacks, and great conversation. She brought some of the school papers we had worked on in class all those years ago. She brought along the yearbooks too!
Flipping through those pages, memories flooded in- the sounds of the school, the colors of the walls, lockers, carpets, classrooms, familiar faces, and so much more. I was instantly laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes! Those were the days! The days we'd wander the neighborhood in squads, knew "everything" and had zero life skills. The days were long, the drama was real (to us kids), and the people..Oh the people.. Can I just say for the record, it's seriously awesome that I remained in contact with so many childhood friends and classmates through the years! To be able to update Mrs. DeVries was like being on an episode of Maury and I was the "where are they now" hostess! We reveled at our small class successes. We laughed more, we agreed how proud we are of many of the students for not becoming another statistic.
The town I was raised in was good, until it wasn't. I was in a melting pot of a town, diversity around every corner. We had Asian kids, Black, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Indian and each color between. We were exposed to culture. We were informed and knew to respect and appreciate the differences among us. We were not raised to be fearful, or judgmental of one another. In that town, that kind of thinking wouldn't get you far anyways. We all had this intense sense of camaraderie as kids. We took pride in our town, and knew we could count on one another if things went down. To see where we've all ended up now as adults, how beautiful. To be able to share the moment with Mrs. DeVries, even more amazing.
To read through the old issues of the school newspaper that we'd put together was comical. To relive the moments of knowing who gets a "shout-out" and who doesn't all over again was surreal. Amazing the way your mind works that kind of magic, isn't it? When was the last time you allowed yourself to be taken by the memories?
When you're ready, give yourself a break from the everyday mundane. Get lost in your memories for a moment. Enjoy the show, and be grateful for those moments. This life is short, appreciate where you've been, and cherish where you are.
Our only job here is to make the most of the time we are given. Stop wasting it.
Samantha J.
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