The Best Mirror

Hi, everyone!

It's a quiet Friday evening, and I'm hanging out with my mom on the couch. Earlier in the day, I went out to run some errands, and it was so slippery outside! The weather this week has been ridiculously up and down. It was extremely cold for most of the week, today it was icy, and tomorrow it's going to be rainy. This is already turning out to be some kind of year….

Last Sunday was fun because I got to see some old friends. I hadn't seen these two boys since middle school! Last semester, I mentioned that I had reconnected with a friend after 7 years. He was one of the people that I saw on Sunday. I hadn't seen the other boy since June 2007, when we graduated from 8th grade. The three of us and one other friend sat together in our 7th grade science class, and became good friends. I had spoken to one of them several times over the last few years, but I hadn't spoken to the other one until he messaged me this past October.

We agreed to meet up during winter break when we were all free. One friend suggested a restaurant in Chinatown, and that's where I found myself on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I always end up coming early to these kinds of things, and that day was no different. I walked around Chinatown killing time while waiting for 12 PM to come. I was kind of nervous to see them after all of these years. We had passed our entire adolescence without seeing each other, and I wondered whether it would be weird to see them. If things would be awkward or natural or whether we'd be bored with each other. I was standing at the corner of Broome St and Canal St and decided to give one of them a call. It was surprising to me how natural it felt to talk to him again and how little his voice had changed (it just got a bit deeper). I got a little sad when he said "I can't believe how long it's been".

The three of us ended up spending the whole day together just catching up on our lives and making a lot of jokes. It's funny how after all these years, the dynamic has changed very little. At one point I said, "It doesn't feel like 7 years has passed." There was an acknowledgement that we had all grown up a lot, but seeing them brought me back to my 13-year-old self and all of her melodramatic thoughts and frustrations.

I was happy to see them and reestablish our friendship. Winter break is the perfect time for seeing old friends. =)

Last Sunday, I also watched the season 4 premiere of Downton Abbey. I've been a big fan of the show for the last couple of years, and I was super excited for this premiere. I love how these characters are living these super dramatic lives back in the 1920's . I think most of us forget that people have always had the same kinds of problems. We look at photos from these times, and we can't relate to their clothes or their hair or how serious they look. But if we had the chance to peek into a day in their lives, we would see how very little has changed in terms of emotions and everyday experiences. Downton Abbey gives us a great chance to do that.

This past week, I started watching Girls. I've heard a lot of good things about the show, and I'm enjoying it so far. There are a lot of funny and crazy things that happen, but I love the honest portrayal of human relationships and of the confusing times of being a twentysomething.

S.

Quote of the Week

"The best mirror is an old friend."

~ George Herbert