hold time

He was still too young to know that the heart's memory eliminates the bad and magnifies thee good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burden of the past. -Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

A few weeks ago I took this book on a road trip with me to Stillwater. I ended up having a day mostly to myself while on the trip, and I spent the majority of it just sitting in a coffee shop downtown thinking about life and reading this book. When I came across this quote, for some reason it really struck a chord.

It is a very surreal feeling to visit a place you once lived. Even though I haven't been gone that long, it seems like a lifetime ago. So much within me has changed since I left. Of course this should come as no surprise because with the passage of time always comes change. We cannot avoid it or stop it, no matter how hard we try, and believe me, I have put up a pretty good fight against change during my lifetime. It makes me uncomfortable. Honestly, I just love for things to stay normal and comfortable, but alas, the world has other plans. The funny thing is, it wasn't until I actually drove into town on Perkins that I realized just how out of place I felt there and just how much I had changed since my time there, which was, at the time, a very unexpected feeling. I think this quote was so meaningful and applicable to me because since leaving, I have managed to only retain the good memories of my time there: the house Jennifer and I shared on Gray Street, JC's pep talks, Jimmyisms, snuggling with Stelly in our bed, late night dance parties to the tune of Nicotine and Gravy, etc, etc. As I sat sipping my coffee, I thought of how incredible it really is that even the times in our life where we were enduring struggles can still be remembered with a smile. It just makes me so thankful for all of those people and good memories that allow me to look back upon that time, even though it feels like forever ago, with nothing but appreciation and side-splitting laughter (cue jc rapping to little wayne in the kitchen).


Song of the Day: "Goodbye Good Luck," Thao with the Get Down Stay Down