When I was a kid, I knew I’d love being an adult. But more than being able to stay up late and eat cake for breakfast if I wanted to, what I didn’t anticipate was how great it would feel to spend time with old friends, and their parents, sitting tightly around a table and eating good food and passing good drinks around, and laughing and having several different conversations at once and feeling like you’ve always known them and you will always know them, and how comforting it is.
I also didn’t anticipate how I would long for things I swore I’d never want again, once I grew up and out of my hometown. I didn’t anticipate the pleasure in contemplating the intersection of five simple things: grass, the lake, a bookstore, a porch, and slowness. Although, what’s actually surprising is how this was surprising to me.
There are far too many things I did not appreciate until I stepped away. I’m better with appreciating the moment now. It just took a while…
I’m still learning how to do that myself. I get so excited for future things that I tend to breeze past present things.
You have such a lovely way with words.
Sitting round a table spending time with old friends and family, enjoying food and wine is just about one of the best things ever.
Thank you. :)
It really is one of the best things ever, I agree.
I agree: I look back on some of the places and people and events that I enjoyed as a kid and wish I had paid better attention or something. Great reminder to try to live more fully in the moment. Beautiful words :)
I have trouble living in the moment, so I’m making it more of a priority in my life. I hope it works!
And thank you! :)
i like the way you write too.
for me, it´s difficult to say what i would miss from my childhood, i somehow feel that it´s still here, inside of me, that i can catch the moment from somewhere long time ago.. i can´t really describe it in english.
But often i wish i would have had to possibility to keep my grandparents longer near. now when i am older, there would be so much i would like to ask, so many questions that i didn´t have in my mind when i was a kid.
Kiitos, Outi.
I wish that about my grandparents, too.