I bought some cards today to send to my dearest BFF's from high school. I thought on the way home, I would include a picture from our past; that will be fun! Tonight as I undid the child safety lock a wave of memories washed over me. It was like unlocking a time capsule. I have not looked at those pictures in ages. Time just keeps moving and so do our busy lives. I had a date with my husband and hot tub that I didn't want to miss so I promised myself I would just look for the two pictures I needed and wrap it up. I'm not one to move swiftly like this...opening up the memory bank sometime lasts HOURS. I did not remember which albums were from when so I just picked some up and flipped through. Tears sprang to my eyes. The memories are vivid. So incredibly precious. Proms, Homecomings, Senior Year at Trenton High School, trips up-north, and so many more. Our eyes so filled with promise and hope. We've been out of high school for 15 year now although feels like only yesterday. We have husbands, mortgages, jobs...real jobs, kids, and responsibility. Not sure we are all where we'd hoped, but we are here none the less. We are spread from the west coast to the east coast. Hours and plane rides away. Life gets heavy these days. I remember so clearly wanting to move the hands of time for the "next" thing...college, marriage, kids, a "real" job with my own "real" money....I would give anything to go back for ONE day and realize the freedom and promise of those days. My Grandpa told me when I graduated high school "time moves so fast now" I had NOOOO idea what he was talking about until now.
As I sit here I am a wife, mother, manager, so many things to so many people. I cannot believe I will be 33 this year and I have an almost 2 year old asleep in the other room. I cannot believe I had to fire someone last Friday or that I sat and talked with the president of my company over wine two weeks ago. I have adult decisions to make and adult responsibilities. But the memories of days gone by are as fresh in my mind as the warm summer breeze that whips through my car on the way home from work. I have daily disappointments. I worry more than I should...I have no earthly idea what I "worried" about back then. To be honest, in 15 years I won't remember what I worried about today.
These girls both carry their own adult burdens. When we talk we roll over our life's current story; sometimes we are in hysterics about our husbands shenanigans or babies barfing at the worst times then sometimes we are in tears over lost loved ones, bad days at work or the guilt that plagues us. We talk about our moms and siblings; catch up on our jobs and co-workers. We are all walking the same tightrope. But no matter what, we have each other. We have the memories locked safely in our minds. We have the tightly woven bond of time. Time lived. Time spent together. I love you girls. Thanks for the memories....and the ones yet to come.
