Day 05

This is the last of the favorites, and boy howdy am I ready. I've forced myself into choosing just one of the day's category--not even mentioning others in an off-hand way. This has been deliberate and something you probably haven't even recognized my doing. Newsflash: In a (sometimes odd) attempt at self-mastery I do this--force myself to do something I don't want to (like the Half Marathon). Choosing favorites these last five days has felt like I've been painting myself into a corner: but I do it willingly, even if it clams me up inside. Masochist.

Your favorite quote

Without disclaim or apology, I present a quote that started a conversation so 19-year-old thought provoking that details of the initial conversation--and its subsequent reheashings in the last 8 years--are etched so firmly in my memory, and in my relationship with the other half of the conversation.

"Even though the moment passed you by, you still can't turn away." Goo Goo Dolls

If you only know a handful of things about me, you know that I'm a nostalgic person. I recall shared history often and am quick to shoot a two line "remember when?" email or text ot f-book wall post. My room is covered in photos of my favorite people and moments. I can get trapped into watching my screen saver, or reading old journals, or replaying moments in my head over and over again as I fall asleep. I love old timey things or traditional gifts given with purpose--a broach given to my mom as a bridesmaid gift by my aunt, the stained glass floor lamp from my parents that reminds me of home, the stacks and stacks of hand written cards rubber-banded together collected since the day I left home.

There's something so important about memories and the way we return to them. A smell, a phrase, a taste. The way a single photo can elevate every good, kind, and wonderful feeling you have about yourself or others. It's possible that looking back is easier than looking forward--because it's easier to forget the rougher edges in times gone by and concentrate on the good times.

This weekend, I marry off one of my very best friends. The bride is one of those kinds every one wants to be near; so friends from the last decade will gather together in celebration. So many people with a shared history will have plenty of shared memories to tell; I'm excited to get together and remember our shared joy and think back on when life seemed easier and less complicated.

Isn't that also the beauty of looking backward? Absence makes the hard grow easier. Yes, I made that up. But if you want it to be your Day 05 in the future, it's all up to you. Wiiiiiiiiink.

Also: this post will undoubtedly bring in the 100,000 page view. Are you she?