Wednesday, December 13, 2006

No Pain, No Gain

Sometimes, something little, like a smell, or a fleeting image, will bring full force a feeling of nostalgia. I feel it physically. Sometimes its so fleeting, I don't quite recognize it, but I know its from my past. I often get nostalgic about college. It was so much fun. I made so many great friends, and it passed way too quickly. The strongest feelings of nostalgia, that pain me, are the ones when I think of someone I know I can never be friends like we were back then. Whether we have lost touch or I just get snippets of their life from emails, pictures, and Christmas cards, its not the same as living as roommates or working with them every day. It has been almost 6 years since I graduate college- I don't think I am handling the getting older thing very well. I just miss my friends.

Today as I was wrapping Christmas gifts I was brought back to memories of when I worked at the service desk at the BYU Bookstore and I wrapped gifts everyday. It quite possibly may be my favorite job of all time. Not just because I got to gift wrap all day, but because of my coworkers. One of my best friends, who I have lost contact with, was my boss Melinda. She was so much fun and helped me through some difficult times- my first heart break, roommate issues, and when I freaked out that I was graduating from BYU when I still felt so young. She always gave great advice and she was funnier than all get out. She is a great person, and as I was wrapping my gifts today, I thought about her, and how we would always tell our customers that we won the national championship of gift wrapping two years in a row, how we would order cinnamon sticks from pipeline pizza when we both had to work on Saturdays and eat the entire thing, and how she called me Brooke Harker Barker Baker when I dated a couple of guys with those last names. I haven't talked with her since I was pregnant with Claire. It is one friendship that I regret losing.

Cody, on the other hand, doesn't get nostalgic at all. He doesn't really keep in touch with friends from his past and I don't think that bothers him at all. So I wonder, is it better to be like Cody, living in the present, not dwelling on the past, or is it better to hold onto those feelings from the past, so you can always remember the great people and great events at the risk of feeling pain that those days are gone? I think I will take the pain, if it allows me to feel the happy memories I have.

19 comments:

Shells said...

I think it is totally a girl thing and a boy thing. Girls think with their heart and boys think with their brain. That is why girl brains are more valuable than boy brains. In fact the older girs get the more valuable their brains become. Boy brains that wear out from use through the years depreciate in value where girl brains that are never used are just like new and hold their value.


Your loving father (YLF)

Shells said...

I just wanted to make absolutely certain, that my visiting father wrote that last comment, not me.

Michelle

Shells said...

The views & opinion expressed by my husband (YLF) are not necessarily those of the managment.
Your Loving Mother (YLM)

Carrie said...

Oh, I miss the Harker family.

Monica said...

As I was addressing and sending out Christmas cards, I was thinking about all the friends that I have lost touch with. It really is too bad, there were some great people.

I think we should have dad (YLF)take that IQ test that you and I scored high on just to prove that girls can be great brain thinkers too!!

Brooklet said...

Please. . . I can handle dad in a logical debate anyday, and he knows it!!

Shells said...

Ok Brooke I accept your challenge.

Answere me this. Do you believe in honesty? (YLF)

Brooklet said...

Do you mean, do I believe in being honest? or do I believe honesty exists? I answer yes to both.

Shells said...

If you believe in being honest then is there ever a reason why you should lie to a child? (YLF)

Monica said...

Do we lie to our kids when we talk about Santa Clause? Does that make us dishonest?

tharker said...

You sooo know that's what he's talking about!!! : )

Shells said...

That's a good question. Do you think it is okay to lie to your children about Santa Clause? ANswer the question, yes or no, don't wait for the interpretation.

ylf

elenapena said...

Oh Brooke! Your family sounds like a lot of fun. :) You know what I think of when I get nostalgic, which I very often do? I think of heaven having a room just for me with old video records of my past and a big screen TV to watch them on. That way I can always go back on the memories I want to re-live. There's got to be a room like that in heaven! :)

Monica said...

2 weeks with nothing new? You must be awfully busy.

Monica said...

Brooke -- I sure missed you and Michelle while I was at mom and dads. It just felt like we were always missing someone. Darn it!! Why can't we all live closer together!!!!

Brooklet said...

Yeah, I really missed you guys this christmas too. This year was harder than last year and I think its because I knew you were at mom and dads, and I didn't like missing out! but hopefully we will see you this summer!

tharker said...

I'm so excited for this summer too! Not that I really look forward to camping all that much, but I love it when we're all together! Monica's right, it felt very strange without you and Shells there! I actually missed hearing, "Wow, a mini-skirt, thanks!!" Did you keep the tradition alive as you were opening gifts this year Brooke?

The New Harkers said...

To go along with Tiff, I Didnt once hear "These mashed potatoes are so creamy" it was said.

Brooklet said...

lol, to lance and tiff- believe it or not, those words didn't echo in the halls of our house either. We had cheesy potatoes, and I completely forgot about my favorite save by the bell line. Maybe that's why it didn't really seem like christmas. . .