Warning! This post may trigger memories from your childhood...
I pulled two boxes down from the upstairs closet.
And one from the basement storage area.
Searching for specific memories from my high school days.
I didn't find the ones I was looking for, but I blew the memory vault wide open.
I can't say that my teenage and young adult years were my favorite ones, but I've definitely been on an adventure.
I found photos from grade school and high school. Cringed at the bad hairstyles I thought were cool back then.
And the ones where I had cut my own bangs. Yikes!
Also, an entire album from the study abroad trip I went on to Mexico, and one from the very first trip I took to Washington State with my dad (see my post from last Father's Day for more on that one).
The pictures made me smile. Some happy smiles, others bittersweet ones.
A few brought tears to my eyes.
In those boxes were not only pictures, but also mementos:
Ticket stubs from movies and plays I had forgotten about
A photo frame (still in the plastic) I had picked up on a trip to Mexico
Notebooks filled with poems and stories I had written (can you say teenage angst?)
A baggie chock full of pink and yellow flyers I created when I ran for Student Council
A laminated "license" I was given in grade school to use the computer lab
Wristbands from the county fair
A ticket to the Homecoming dance
So much life. So many memories.
It's no wonder they call it a "blast" from the past.
It's enough to knock the wind out of you.
I spent several hours that day reliving those memories.
I laughed. I cried.
I played a few regrets over and over in my mind.
I took a few pictures of the pictures (there's another fun blog post about that) so I had them on my phone to share.
And then I packed them all back up in their boxes.
I took the one back down to the basement storage area.
I put the other two back on the closet shelves upstairs.
And I looked around my home.
Marveled at the fact that I'm now 40-something and those years are so far behind me.
That blast from the past stuck with me the entire evening. A weird mixture of longing for the old days and gratitude for how far I've come.
Sometimes it's good to take that trip back in time.
To be blasted by the memories of our past so we can see our life for all that it is.
The faded moments in time.
The live and in color experiences of the present.
The BIG picture.
Hope you can see it too 🧡
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