Pages to the Past

Dear Reader,

When was the last time that you said goodbye to a friend? The last big exodus of friends in my life was over a year ago now when I graduated from my master’s program. Within months after graduation, almost all my close friends had left Boston. It’s a crazy feeling watching someone slowly make an exit in your life. I don’t like it.

Tonight, I went to a little get together at a friend’s house. She often hosts these little mixers and features some fancy food and event. Tonight, there was fondue and mulled wine as well as a poetry reading. The fondue was amazing–for those of you who want to step up your fondue game, I recommend adding white wine to the mixture. I left early though and did not stay for the poetry this time. 

Somewhat early in the night, I learned that my friend, the one who is hosting the party is departing Boston for a few months to do some work and travel abroad. In preparation for her trip, she asked us to sign her scrapbook. She has been scrapbooking for years. Her version of the activity is taking a blank notebook and filling it with pages upon pages of drawings, pictures, handwritten notes and other memorabilia. She had some scrapbooks dedicated to events like summer travel and others devoted to periods of her life like college.

She likes to gather the notes in the scrapbooks and read them as a way to leave one adventure and move on to the next. Dear Reader, I don’t have any pictures of the scrapbooks, but believe me when I say that these were beautiful little books. It is amazing that she can simply pick up a book and look back into 2008. She has pictures, text, and drawings from over a decade ago at her fingertips. Unedited reminders of how she looked, talked, and what she was interested in at a different age. 

I was really impressed by her collection of books, but at the same time I was a bit jealous. How come I didn’t have memorabilia spanning the past decade? Holding on to memories can be hard if you are not actively thinking about them. However, my friend can revisit her memories anytime effortlessly with her little books. My friend is a beautiful person and her unique little books are just a small glimpse into her kind, complex, and deep soul. 

We all have stories to tell. Perhaps it’s time that we got little books of our own. I don’t know how your book would read, Dear Reader, but I hope you will start writing it soon.

Love,

Raven