Has it really been a whole decade?
All good things...
After watching the 'Friends' finale last night with J-mo and Kyle, it hit me that that show has been a part of my life (more in the early years than recently) since I graduated college. And, like the characters in that show, I've grown up. When "Friends" first aired in 1994, I was single and just starting grad school. The possibilities for the future were wide open. I drove a sports car. I had no money. I was in better physical shape. My hair was longer (and I had more of it - sigh-). I was irresponsible (in a normal, twenty-something sort of way). I had circles of friends I hung out with without a care in the world. I felt wise beyond my years (such is the foolish thinking of young adulthood). I had a girlfriend (which, ironically, I still have the same one). I rented an apartment and had 2 roommates. And...this thing called the 'future' - where I would foreseeably eventually have a family, a home, children, etc., was a distant - even terrifying - idea.
Now, it's 2004. I'm married, have a job, and drive an SUV. I have a daughter. I own a home (yikes, I actually own 2). I'm out of shape. I've lost hair. I'm better off financially. I have 2 college degrees. I'm living the very future I used to fear, and all I can do is sit her and think, "When did THAT happen?" None of it happened in a -POOF! THERE IT IS - sort of way. I was dating Stacey in 1994, then we eventually married in 1998. Kailyn, my daughter, was the natural result of our desire for family, and she's not been the burden or dead-weight I used to think a child would be...much the opposite, in fact. I have new friends, but good friendships nonetheless.
And, as shocking as the change is, I wouldn't go back for anything in the world. Though, that's not how it used to be. I remember around 1998, I used to miss the old college days a lot. Stacey and I both would get pretty melancholy thinking about the friendships that are now long gone and the activities we used to be able to do without the weight of job/family responsibility weighing on us (example: spontaneous road trips are much harder when you're married and have a work schedule...hehe).
Kyle, I'm stealing a quote from your blog. Kyle says this: "Memories of days past can either provide us with the courage and motivation to get on with our lives or serve as a method of self-destruction by constantly seeking solace in what once was."
Dang, dude...that's the deepest thing you've ever written, but it's profoundly true, and I've found that to be so true in my own life. Yes, things change. I'm not the same person I was 10 years ago. Sometimes, I miss that time a lot, but if I were to spend my time whining about times gone by, then I might miss the wonderful things that are going to happen next. And though - at times I find myself thinking I'm getting old, I have to laugh and remind myself that I'm only 32, and much of my life is still just beginning. In the coming years, I get to see my daughter grow up. Maybe we'll have more kids, who knows... In the past few years, I've grown closer to my wife - and our relationship has matured a lot, and I can't wait to see what the future brings.
But I must be honest...the ONE thing I truly do want to get back is being in shape. Now, that's a realistic and healthy thing to want to have again, isn't it?
On a side note, here are my favorite series finales from years past (note: some sci-fi geekiness will show through)
1. Cheers
2. Home Improvement (yes, I really put that on my list)
3. Star Trek: The Next Generation
4. Babylon 5 (actually, a very emotional end to a series involving the death of the main character).
5. Seinfeld - because it ended just like it existed: about nothing.
6. The X Files - left it open for another movie by providing the exact date of a pending alien invasion...creepy.
Wow only six...
KEY PHRASES: "Yes, Carlos, it's us...again." "Just give her even more Benadryl." "One hour of exercise, and I feel 'mostly dead.'"
After watching the 'Friends' finale last night with J-mo and Kyle, it hit me that that show has been a part of my life (more in the early years than recently) since I graduated college. And, like the characters in that show, I've grown up. When "Friends" first aired in 1994, I was single and just starting grad school. The possibilities for the future were wide open. I drove a sports car. I had no money. I was in better physical shape. My hair was longer (and I had more of it - sigh-). I was irresponsible (in a normal, twenty-something sort of way). I had circles of friends I hung out with without a care in the world. I felt wise beyond my years (such is the foolish thinking of young adulthood). I had a girlfriend (which, ironically, I still have the same one). I rented an apartment and had 2 roommates. And...this thing called the 'future' - where I would foreseeably eventually have a family, a home, children, etc., was a distant - even terrifying - idea.
Now, it's 2004. I'm married, have a job, and drive an SUV. I have a daughter. I own a home (yikes, I actually own 2). I'm out of shape. I've lost hair. I'm better off financially. I have 2 college degrees. I'm living the very future I used to fear, and all I can do is sit her and think, "When did THAT happen?" None of it happened in a -POOF! THERE IT IS - sort of way. I was dating Stacey in 1994, then we eventually married in 1998. Kailyn, my daughter, was the natural result of our desire for family, and she's not been the burden or dead-weight I used to think a child would be...much the opposite, in fact. I have new friends, but good friendships nonetheless.
And, as shocking as the change is, I wouldn't go back for anything in the world. Though, that's not how it used to be. I remember around 1998, I used to miss the old college days a lot. Stacey and I both would get pretty melancholy thinking about the friendships that are now long gone and the activities we used to be able to do without the weight of job/family responsibility weighing on us (example: spontaneous road trips are much harder when you're married and have a work schedule...hehe).
Kyle, I'm stealing a quote from your blog. Kyle says this: "Memories of days past can either provide us with the courage and motivation to get on with our lives or serve as a method of self-destruction by constantly seeking solace in what once was."
Dang, dude...that's the deepest thing you've ever written, but it's profoundly true, and I've found that to be so true in my own life. Yes, things change. I'm not the same person I was 10 years ago. Sometimes, I miss that time a lot, but if I were to spend my time whining about times gone by, then I might miss the wonderful things that are going to happen next. And though - at times I find myself thinking I'm getting old, I have to laugh and remind myself that I'm only 32, and much of my life is still just beginning. In the coming years, I get to see my daughter grow up. Maybe we'll have more kids, who knows... In the past few years, I've grown closer to my wife - and our relationship has matured a lot, and I can't wait to see what the future brings.
But I must be honest...the ONE thing I truly do want to get back is being in shape. Now, that's a realistic and healthy thing to want to have again, isn't it?
On a side note, here are my favorite series finales from years past (note: some sci-fi geekiness will show through)
1. Cheers
2. Home Improvement (yes, I really put that on my list)
3. Star Trek: The Next Generation
4. Babylon 5 (actually, a very emotional end to a series involving the death of the main character).
5. Seinfeld - because it ended just like it existed: about nothing.
6. The X Files - left it open for another movie by providing the exact date of a pending alien invasion...creepy.
Wow only six...
KEY PHRASES: "Yes, Carlos, it's us...again." "Just give her even more Benadryl." "One hour of exercise, and I feel 'mostly dead.'"
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