Full of Surprises

Yesterday marked 9 years since we graduated high school.  Nine years.  In a way, it seems like a lifetime ago…after all, in these 9 years since we walked across the stage in our cap and gowns, I have earned two college degrees, lived abroad, gotten married, and given birth to two (soon three) children.  But on some occasions, like this weekend for example, it really does feel like yesterday that we were sitting there listening to our names being read to come and receive our diplomas---to take the next step in the journey of life.

This weekend I watched my cousin’s daughter, now 14 years old, dance her heart out at her yearly dance recital.  I cannot believe that she is fourteen years old…it’s a strange sensation, thinking about the fact that I was fourteen years old when she was born.  I remember holding her, rocking her, playing with her.  It’s funny how junior-high aged girls become attached to babies—I see it all the time.  And boy, was I attached to her!  I used to call her my little “munchkin”, I carried her picture with me everywhere, and I loved it when I got to “baby-sit” her.  And now here she is, getting ready to start high school.  It’s just impossible!

As if that wasn’t enough, tonight we went to celebrate the wedding of a dear, dear friend.  I feel like an old person when I say “dear, dear friend”, but that’s the only way I can think of to describe James.  We went to school together from Kindergarten to that day in June with our caps and gowns.  He was my “boyfriend” in fifth grade, and he was the cutest little thing ever.  At the end of the year, we always had a chorus concert, and as James was always the entertainer, one year he got up in front of all of those people—by himself—and belted out a Barry Manilow song.  I can remember him standing there, he was so tiny, with his hands in the air, singing his heart out.  And tonight as I watched him dance with his beautiful bride, that’s all I could think of.

Life is full of surprises.  When Tristan started dancing at age 3, I never thought that we would be receiving the call that she made the high school dance team.  But she did.  And she deserves it more than anyone I know.  And back in elementary school at the choir concert, my 9 or 10-year old mind could never have pictured the day that little Barry Manilow would be getting married, and that I would be sitting at his reception with two children of my own, and another in my tummy!

Nothing about these “surprises” is very surprising…people grow up, our little ones eventually go to high school, and in the end our friends will all probably get married (although I am doubting it with a few of our friends…ha!).  But still…it’s such a surprising moment to wake up and realize how much has changed, how we all have changed.  People might look at me and say that my life has not changed too much in these nine years since I graduated…I’m still in love with the same guy, I still live in my home town, and I still see a lot of those same friends on a regular basis.  But I have changed, and I hope it’s for the better.  I feel so much more comfortable in my skin, so much more aware of my surroundings, of how short life can truly be.

Don’t let life creep up on you and surprise you.  If there are things you’ve been wanting to do, or words you’ve been wanting to say, do it.  Or say it.  Or feel it.  And always take the time to remember the past…the friends that grew up with you, that sat next to you in fourth grade.  The moment you first met your husband or wife.  The moment that they placed your baby in your arms.  In a day filled with work, emails, homework, family drama, etc., sometimes we just need a break.  So, surprise yourself.  Take that break…even if it’s only for five minutes.  Let your mind wander to a place that makes you smile.  Call that friend you’ve been meaning to call.  Pull out the photo album, the yearbook, the old diary.  It really can turn a bad day into a good, nostalgic moment.

Life is full of surprises---both good and bad.  But remember the message behind this blog, and specifically on Sundays:  “Look for the good in surprises”.