Thursday, February 27, 2003
if you glanced back at your past, i'm sure you'd remember some of the the life-changing experiences, like how you had to move to another country, your very first love, or the death of a close relative. you probably also remember the not-as-notable-but-important-nonetheless things, like who your math teacher was two years ago, how your old house looked, or a favorite song. but who pays attention to the details?
most people don't. at that time of occurence, these actions are so insignificant that one overlooks the whole thing. who really, can recite in detail the nostalgia they felt with the first step they took onto american ground, how magical that kiss was, how devastating it was to go to that funeral, how their math teacher was from perú and could not say the letter 'z' without being laughed at, how their house smelt of mom's cooking, or how that one song made them cry because they knew what the artist was going through?
if you start paying attention to these details that have somehow weaved themselves into the picture, you understand why a certain event was memorable or why it was time well spent. personally, i can still recall the scorching heat the first day of school in louisville, kentucky back in '91, how i landed that back handspring-into-tuck position at my second gymnastics championships, the humiliation i felt trying to learn the english language, how appreciative i was for the people who befriended me at el rancho when i was the new girl, how nervous i was the first day of band camp, the exact shade the band lockers are painted in (because the officers took a week out of their summer break to repaint them), how my best guy friend now, used to be the shyest guy i've ever met, what all my friends order at a certain restaurant, the smell of leather dye on the xylophone, the color of the stains on the band room carpet. i can clearly remember how much my eyes hurt after graduation 2002, how much i missed you guys like hell yesterday.
once you've picked out some minute details, you begin to realize that those little things were what made an event more memorable, time well-spent and worthwhile. so carpe diem, my friends.
"enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." - ©Robert Brault
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