Sentimental streak

A few things have happened in the past week or so that have got me feeling sentimental and at times downright melancholy.

One, I reconnected with a long-lost college friend via Facebook. That's a good thing, a great thing! But combined with the rainy weather (I went to college in a town known for its constant drizzle) and the fact that Pandora suddenly decided to pepper my mix with a bunch of old Smiths, INXS, and Depeche Mode? The next thing you know, I'm staying up late, having a mad craving for my favorite sandwich from a deli that's been out of business for years, and Googling pictures of the old campus. And by the way, when you Google the name of my beloved dorm, the first thing you find is a series of photos of it being demolished. Gut-wrenching!

Also, last Friday was my 19-year Atlantaversary, so I was kind of reminiscing about my early days here, and then I got the news that a woman I worked with at my first Atlanta job (which is also where I met my hubby), died suddenly on Saturday. She had contacted me several months ago, and I was glad to hear from her after many years, but it's not like we were close. Still, I liked her and kept thinking I needed to make a point of catching up with her more in depth, and I never did.

Anyway...what to say about all this? Life is short, but freshman year was longer ago than it seems, and we should all make sure to get together with the people we care about just in case one of us is about to die? Ugh!

I'm not one to dwell on the past, fret about my age, etc., so when I'm suddenly confronted with the swift passage of time, it throws me for a loop. I feel two very conflicting things:

1) Wow, time is passing faster than I thought, so I should stop putting off some things I keep thinking about doing, and just do them.

But then that makes me feel all pressured and panicky, leading to:

2) Now all I want to do is curl up in the fetal position with a library book and a mug of spiked hot cocoa.

Two equally attractive options, right??

The future is coming at us, but the past is still here somewhere. The trick is not to let the present get lost in the middle, I guess.

 

Comments

[Stacy]

Pattie--I haven't been back in years, but the last time I was there, changes were afoot. My dorm had been converted to an office building, but at least it was still standing then! (sob)

Alannah--oh, I know it! That song just slays me. And it's a slippery slope, isn't it, once you start on that sentimental train of thought?

[Alannah]

Oy. That song will do it to me every time.

It's also the time of year for dreary sentimentalizing.

PUT DOWN THE ELLIOTT SMITH AND WALK AWAY SLOWLY.

xoxoxo

[Pattie]

Went back to the old stomping grounds in October when my daughter was there for a band competition. Wow! Hardly recognized the place. (There are pics on my FB page.) It doesn't feel like that long ago, but in a few months I'll be teaching my daughter how to drive... Make room on the sofa and pass the cocoa... ;)