Life moves fast. Perhaps my girlfriends and I haven’t yet developed the vocabulary to describe our realization of this, so lately, we’ve been calling many of our observations “weird.”
It’s so weird that Jess is getting married. It’s so weird that we’ve been out of high school for 10 years. It’s so weird that we only have 7 or 8 years before a pregnancy would be considered higher-risk. It’s so weird that our parents are in their 60s. It’s so weird that we’re … adults.
Once a week, I visit my grandmother, who lives nearby. I grew up in her home. My parents both worked so every day, she and my grandfather would pick me and my sister up from school and we’d stay with them for hours. Twenty years later, we still sit at the same counter and eat the same Chinese noodle dishes while chatting with her about our daily happenings.
Tonight, my sister called me at work and wanted me to meet her at Grandma’s for dinner. I told her I can’t, I’m on deadline and so stressed out, no. But she had a bunch of stuff to give me and this might be the only time I’d see her this week, so I sighed and said okay.
As I stood outside waiting at the door, I looked around at the houses and the cars and the trees and thought, “This is weird.” It’s so weird that this is the house where I used to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks while eating cumquats after school. It’s so weird that this is where my then-BFF and I would play M.A.S.H. and prank call boys and talk about the girl at school who already got her first period. It’s so weird that this is where my sister and I fought and loved daily. It’s so weird that this was also the home of my grandfather, the kindest man who I didn’t know well enough.
It’s so weird where my life has taken me — to college, to other states, to a career I’m grateful for, to Matt, to now. It’s so weird that this place on this earth is where my life was and is and likely will always be. It’s so weird, the concepts of time and generations. It’s so weird.
I can’t yet grasp it all. So for now, I stand here stunned and in awe.
I totally hear ya.
I definitely hear you. I keep talking about wanting to move to the US with Mister but we’ve realized that with him turning 30 in two years, and us having to start over with no credit score or work history? It’s just not really an option for us.
I don’t know how I feel about that. Weird is a good work for it.
It’s weird that half my graduating class is engaged, married or parents.
It’s weird that I’m planning on moving south for love. It’s weird that my brother is 16 and driving. It’s weird that my parents are talking about retirement.
I think weird is a perfect word for all this.
It IS weird. That’s the exact same word I use to describe all those similiar feelings.
How nice to be able to reflect and appreciate the times you’ve spend with your grandmother at her home. Those are precious moments.
It is weird and its hard for me to process life sometimes too. I dont know that we ever grasp it.
It IS weird. I do agree.
it is weird. remember when we used to go out really late and eat ramen out of the pot?
I wish I could identify more with this. I moved far from home when I was 22 and will probably never move back. I’m not super close with most of my extended family and can rarely afford to go home for visits, so I don’t have this same sense of continuity. When I go home I guess I do. But, for me, it’s more disconcerting than anything.
But I do identify with that moment of realization– “Wow. We’ve come along way, baby.”
Life is… weird.
yeah so many memories, how the the neighbor katie bit you, how we use to play hide n go seek and you and erica never came to find me, how we would go to piano class at mrs. hirose’s house. so weird. not we are old and we are going to costa rica. nice!
I know exactly what you mean. My dad turned 60 a couple months ago and I had a mini freak-out.
we’re so weird when we used to meeshkabubba and sparklemenao:)
7 or 8 years? AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! (covers ears)