Saturday, December 28, 2013

The Art of packing your life into boxes: Part 2

Hello there dear friend!

It's been some time since I wrote but I blame the delay on the holidays. The impending deadline of January 9th when I fly to Florida (which then I will be driving up to Georgia) has encouraged me to try and spend as much time with my family. Christmas Eve(with my mom's side of the family) Christmas day (at my house) and the subsequent days (with my dad's side of the family) were spent bonding and setting to memory the stories that I will miss hearing all of the time.

This is a sort of packing as well. I mean yes, I was able to fit the things that I will need for the next 8 months into 3 medium sized boxes, 2 suitcases, and my backpack. I am content with my decisions on what I settled on packing yet there is one thing that I cannot pack.

I cannot pack the people that make my life better. I don't mean to be sentimental with this post but for me there are certain people that mean very much to me. I know that in this day in age I have so much technology to keep me in touch with my family and friends but there is nothing like a hug from a person dear to you or a an adventure and coffee with a friend to make a day go from good to best. These are two examples that I would like to share since these events are what inspired this post tonight. I have left my friend's names out mostly because I have realized that privacy on the internet is sacred and thus keeping them anonymous is my prerogative.

Yesterday I was having coffee with a friend of mine, a tradition that was started at the beginning of the fall semester when I was visiting my grandparents. I had only met him in a class the last semester of college and knew right away that he was fantastic, a little on the quiet side (which makes me laugh because most of my friends tend to be a lot more mellow than I usually am which makes everything balanced, just as the world should be) but I enjoyed having conversations about literature and movies and just everyday life stuff from him. Now that we have both graduated, talking about applications to schools and finding a job (in their case a better job, in my case a job in general) have replaced talk about class work. Regardless of the topic his stance is always so even keeled and very thought out. As much as it makes me sad that it will probably be over a year before I see him, I know that letters and emails will be exchanged making the absence of these meetings less noticeable.

Today I met with two history majors and we tend to have the habit of meeting at In N Out. I love these two because they make me laugh so hard. We sat out side for 4 1/2 hours talking about anything and everything. Just like the person I met with yesterday both are more introverted than myself, but their friendships make me better. They have interesting and complex opinions, they are funny (and know how to make me laugh) over silly things. Being history majors we probably spent a solid two hours of that time talking about everything from Thomas Jefferson to modern Middle Eastern history all contributing to the points in a precise manner. We fan-girled over nerdy things like the Hobbit and Doctor Who (which one crocheted me a 10th Doctor to go along with my crocheted TARDIS, be jealous you know that is cool) and how if I decided to do a specific line of research in grad school I could potentially become best friends with Benedict Cumberbatch (it's a long story, if you want to know shoot me a message, it is a fairly long tangent). I told them about my Sherlock trick that I did to a group of Lutheran guys at UNL that had the guys slightly freaked out and impressed by simply looking at their ties. When we parted (because it was almost dark and dinner was approaching) I was sad. These two people had become some of my very best friends and just like my other friend every time I visit California I take the time to see them.


I can't pack people into boxes. I can file away the conversations into my cabinet of knowledge (my brain if you had never heard me call it that before) and pull them out to remind myself of how wonderful these people are. I can text and facebook them and even talk to them on the phone but it is not the same and not as good as seeing them in person.

Hugs and arm punches are way better than smiley faces and sticking out your tongue emoticons. A letter is always better than a text. A phone call is better than a facebook message.
I cannot pack the things that really matter into boxes because, as I have known for a very long time, what really matters in the end are the people you love.

I pack my love for you into a special place in my heart so that I can carry it with me as I travel. I may not know where my life will go after Georgia but I have faith that it will be a great adventure and that you my dear friends will be tucked away in my heart, safe and sound as I experience the world.

As always,
Hugs and love

Kylie 

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