When I run into someone I know during these months, they tend to ask me, “Haven’t you taken advantage of your time off?” While I haven’t been anywhere physically, I have to say, this has been the most productive time I’ve ever had in my life thus far. Among the concerts, baseball games, walks in the park and nights in the city, the greatest thing I’ve gained this summer is time – sorting out the past, living in the present and celebrating the future.
One of the most grueling tasks that I've started this year was clearing up the attic. My parents have been asking me for years to toss whatever I don't need up there, as I have a few large containers, numerous bags, and stacks of magazines dating back to the early 90’s. With every issue I browsed through, every letter and journal I read from elementary through high school, college, and post-college, I was reminded of the girl I used to be. It was great to re-visit old memories, but at the same time, it reminded me of how important it was to move on.
Looking at the countless bags of my past sitting in my kitchen floor, I realized that I was doing something that I should have done a long time ago – rid myself of it. I never understood why I felt the need to archive every moment of my life. Perhaps I thought that I’ll be able to re-live those times by looking at an old movie stub, greeting card or the handwritten note. What I’ve come to realize is that these moments will never happen again - it was time to toss the baggage once and for all.
A little under three decades of my life..there’s eight more where these came from.
Maybe I could have done some traveling, far from the sounds of New York, filling up my passport along the way – and I'm sure that's in my near future. For now, I'm going to opt for laughing with my family and good friends, being myself and appreciating the fact that I'm able to do so. Now that I'm finding myself putting on socks instead of flip flops, winding up my car windows without turning on the AC, and bidding the summer of 2009 a nostalgic farewell, I’m perfectly content as to where I am at this very moment: Happy.
One of the many highlights of the summer, our first family reunion.
