Old times

When Nick was on his mission, Sarah told me I should buy a journal and write to him everyday.  Well, I bought the journal, and I wrote him a lot.  Less and less as the months went on.  But I was reading through it today and laughed at myself a little bit at some of the things I would say.  Some of the things I did when I was in college, the things I found amusing, the things that bothered me.  It was nice to remember all the fun I had.

Then behind a picture of Nick and me, I found a campbell's soup label, for cream of onion soup.  And I remembered the day I bought that silly can.  I found the entry towards the end of the journal, about the day Ben drove me, Sarah and Blaine to Idaho Falls so I could have a procedure done.  And then how they took me around town when I was coming off the sedation, and how they let me buy silly things, like a $70 dress and the soup.  It was the start of a great semester, and a lot of good times with great friends. I don't hear from them much anymore.  I guess we all move on with our lives.  I have a binder of pictures from that semester, pictures of silly things like Ben hanging hangers from his lip, and Blaine presenting Sarah with a ring made from play dough, and Matthew carrying me around the living room, and Emma looking terrified as Ben jumped into Blaine's lap.

Watching the parade yesterday, and seeing all the high school marching bands and cheerleaders, I thought to myself "they have no idea how simple and wonderful their lives are".  Why is it that things tend to get so complicated and messy as we get older?  Is it just because we know more, or think we know more?  Do we get to caught up in meaningless things, attached to old habits and memories that hinder us rather than help us.  Why do we as adults spend so much of our time reminiscing about things that were, instead of looking to things that might be?  I think it's because of the solace and the comfort that comes from things past.  And because things really are simpler when you are younger, when you only have to worry about yourself.  When the most exciting part of your day is catching a boy smiling at you and then spending the rest of your night giggling to your roommates about it.

Kids are always in such a hurry to grow up, to be adults, when they should really be savoring every moment of their childhood.  Enjoying every game, every tease, every late night and Saturday morning.  Every Tristan starts freaking out, I say to him, kid your life isn't that bad!  You don't know how easy you have it!  I'm the one changing your poopy diapers!  One day he'll understand, just like I am beginning to as I look at my parents.

It was nice to see those pictures and read about the fun we had.  I will forever be grateful to those wonderful friends who did so much for me, and helped me more than they understand.  Thanks guys.