nostalgia.

A wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.


I can honestly say that I yearn and long to see my friends from life (I say life instead of high school. I was friends with them long before high school began). It's a deep and incredible love that I have for this rare group of gUrls (women? young women? ladies?).

Life was so simple back in the day. My biggest worries were: roll my hair or straighten it? Homework or chat on MSN? Pack my lunch or buy the over-priced, under-cooked chicken strips in the Cyclone Cafe? Join Art Club for one more photo in the yearbook or save five dollars? Try to bring back Doc Martens or start the Reebok Classics fad? I mean, tough decisions. Can you imagine waking up and having to deal with that everyday? Every single day?

Oh, what I wouldn't give to have those worries as the hardest thing I have to deal with all week-- who knew life was so easy and simple back then? I would go back to my third period senior English class everyday if I could. I'd yell at Bran from across the room, I'd comb Bell's hair with the broom I found in the hallway, I'd tell ADub her sweater was ugly, I'd write poop on Corky's paper every chance I got and I'd definitely tell Megan to get rid of RW every time she made eye contact with me. Then, we'd skip down the hallway to lunch and live happily ever after. And we'd have it all on video. Or at least documented with a photo-op.


I've been extremely blessed in the area of friendships in my short life. I went to college and made friends there that can only be described as amazing. I moved to Dallas and ended up with another incredibly wonderful group of friends. But, at the end of the day there's just something about the people who have seen you pre-Chi, pre-learning how to put on make-up, pre-fashion savvy...the people who saw you cry at lunch in sixth grade, the people who sat next to you during 10th grade Biology when you cried your eyes out about seeing a frog, the people who taught you how to be a friend in the first place. I don't know, maybe I feel this way about them because they have millions of pictures they could blackmail me with me. Or maybe it's because they still know my parent's phone number and could call them at any minute and tell them everything I've ever done wrong (which is very little).


Or maybe I love them deeply because I realize the important role they played in my life. The role that led me to want to live a life for Jesus and have fun while doing it. And the fact that they made it through my junior high years, which could not have been easy for anyone.