A Long Five Years and Lots of Lessons Learned

My dad and I in 89. I guess I was perfecting my pouty face. 

For Thanksgiving holiday I went and stayed at my parents house for a couple of days. Though I go home a couple of times every few months, it's always different around holidays. Maybe it's because old friends are in town or because I see all of my aunts, uncles and cousins around chicken and dressing and ham. Whatever it is, it makes me very nostalgic.

I start to go through old pictures, look at year books and find all those things you kept because of the things they meant at the time. Maybe I have way too much free time when I go to my parents house. There isn't much to do in my home town...

This feels like a lifetime ago. Then it feels like yesterday. 

On Friday night, one of my best guy friends and I decided to go ride around and find some back roads. For two hours we talked about life and how much it's changed in the past five years. 

Friends since we were kids. This was 2005 or 2006.

Five Years Ago:

Year: 2006

Age: 20

Job: Public Relations Associate at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library Children's Department

College: Sophomore/Junior at Arkansas State

Dating Status: Who knows. Either single, together or broken up. 

Favorite Movie: Pretty Woman 

Favorite Color: White (It's a color!)

Things I said: 

- "I'll never live in Little Rock."

- "I'll never go back to school to get my masters when I'm done with school."

- "I won't even think about getting married until I'm 25." 

- "I can't cook anything but soup or chili." 

After five years, four moves, three different cities, and lots of ups and downs, I'm finally becoming a little more settled than I have ever been before. 

Small reunion in 2011.

Now:

Year: 2011

Age: 25

Job: Social Media at Heifer International 

College: Working on Masters at UALR

Dating Status: I'm single and I mingle. 

Favorite Movie: Pretty Woman

Favorite Color: Turquoise and white. 

Things I say now: 

- "I have no idea where I will live one day."

- "Is going back to school worth it?"

- "Maybe I'll get around to getting married."

- "I can cook anything but eggs." 

So what now? I have no idea. I've learned never to make plans for the years in advance, I had no idea that at 20-years-old I would move to Atlanta in the next year and a half. I had no idea that I would move back a couple of years after I moved. I had no idea that I would be going back to get my masters.  Life seemed to difficult at the time, now that time seems so easy and things seem hard now. 

Here's what I can say about 2011:

- I'm pretty sure I'm right where I'm supposed to be for right now. 

- This year has been been full of surprises. 

- People do change. For good or bad, they change. 

- One day you wake up and you seem to know what you want. Out of life. Out of yourself. Out of a relationship. Out of your friendships. 

- You shouldn't settle for anything less than exactly what you want. 

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Labels: Arkansas , growing up , Life , Small Town Living