Despite evidence to the contrary, I am still on the planet. With everything that has been occurring over the past few months (prepping and staging a house to sell, open houses and showings, selling a house, packing and moving across country, and settling into a new location; plus deadlines at work), I have not made myself write anything. Some days I was too exhausted. Other days, just didn’t know what to say. Many thoughts bounced around in my head, but nothing crystal clear.
This cross-country move has brought me back home (quite literally, moving in with Mom to help her out a bit). Over the past 11+ years, I have grown a great deal. Many experiences gave many opportunities for learning. This was brought home to me in an interesting way.
I was visiting a friend a few days ago, and noticed some photos she had posted on her refrigerator. I recognized her and two other friends in the photo, but couldn’t quite figure out the fourth person. I knew she looked familiar. After staring at the photo for a moment, I started to recognize myself. It was really weird that I didn’t instantly realize it was a picture of me. The picture was 10 years old. Yes, my hairstyle had changed a bit, but nothing drastic. It was something about the face. There was a slight emptiness or hollowness about it. There was a smile at my mouth, but not so much in my eyes.
Since that photo was taken, I have gone through some counseling and recovered from depression. There is now more light in my eyes. (Not to sound conceited, but I believe I look better now – ten years later – than I did then.) I am so thankful for making the effort to get better. I now have more confidence and purpose in my life.
