I thought that at this point in my life any roommate/s that I'd have would be a husband and/or children . . . not my parents. But, life is humorous and I love nothing more than to be a prop in its comedy act. You're welcome, life.
Being that my parents recently moved, aside from the general fun of a new home and town to make memories in, the icing on the cake is that I get to help them unpack their boxes! You think I'm being sarcastic? Oh no. That's genuine excitement there. Need I remind you of my deep love for cleaning things out? The only hiccup is that my love isn't necessarily matched by the other parties involved. We'll get there.
Since it's a process to get the others on board with sorting through the endless mass of boxes, I dedicated some time the other day to going through my own boxes of belongings that they've been holding on to for me. What a walk down memory lane!
In between laughing at the ridiculous stories that I wrote as a child, wondering what's become of certain people while looking through yearbooks, or trying to decide if it was worth keeping the platypus stuffed animal that I sewed in 9th grade home ec., I found myself being transported to a different time. A time when messages between friends looked like these,
a time when imagination ran rampant,
(okay, the masks may be a little creepy, but don't worry, it's just my brother and me)
and a time when going to an adult event made you feel so special and mature [even if you did look a little on the silly side]:
It was a good time, a real good time.
And, while it's largely the memories themselves that I cherish, it's also the child-like mindset of those years that I think of fondly. The mindset where everything seemed more simple, more understandable, more possible. When friendships and relationships were less complicated, when creativity was less stifled by the demands of everyday life, when being an adult seemed like a lot of fun.
Youth may be gone, but why does that frame of mind have to vanish as well? It may be a bit more difficult to cultivate in the midst of this stage of life, and it will probably look a little different than it did as a youngen, but, I think that it certainly is possible to see the world through child's eyes once again, with adult prescription lenses.
Life can be simple if we slow down and take the time to pay attention to the things around us. Life matters can make more sense if we strive for knowledge and clarification. Everything can be possible if we have the courage to take action and step out in faith.
Friendships and relationships? Love others as you, yourself, would want to be loved. Speak up, speak the truth, speak from your heart. Send 'notes' to let someone know that you're thinking of them, or just to say something funny to put levity and life back into the relationship.
Creativity put on the back burner? Whip out a camera, a pen and paper, heck, a coloring book. Take twenty minutes out of your day to let your mind run free, even if it just means spending the time staring out the window and daydreaming.
Being an adult can be fun, it SHOULD be fun. The years of childhood were the good 'ol days, but these days now, these are the great days! See them for what they are, enjoy them, and use them wisely.
