Same same but different
Monday, September 27, 2021
2:27 AM - Woke up.
5:28 AM - Plane left St. Louis.
7:22 AM - Blue Line train left O’Hare.
8:35 AM - Arrived at friends’ apartment.
11:03 AM - Started jump roping by the Lincoln Park Gazebo.
11:27 AM - Realized that even though Chicago still feels so familiar after these five months away, I have changed.
That realization does not affect the life of anyone else, but it struck me deeply when it popped into my mind.
I am back in a familiar place and the city has largely stayed the same, but I am different.
The person that I was five months ago had no idea what was coming. Sure, there were plans on the calendar and hopes for what would transpire, but when I reflect back now, I see how much I never could have imagined.
- I made new friends all over the world who have gifted me with their unique perspectives and with whom I communicate on a regular basis.
- I deepened old friendships through weeks spent living together and shared experiences that we’ll remember for quite some time.
- I learned a love of creating stuff and realized that it will be a life-long journey to bridge the gap between my taste and my ability.
- I have started really internalizing my own mortality thanks to certain events that have transpired and the perspective of different books that have rocked my world.
- And overall, I have been given a new sense of possibility for what this life can be with whatever years are given to me.
Maybe it has always been like this. Maybe life has always evolved to this degree in a matter of months. Maybe I have not been paying enough attention to notice.
But I’m locked in now to what is happening in the present to see where this fun journey of life takes me.
When you reflect back on your life, how have you changed these last five months? Or how about this last year? What parts surprise you? What are you most proud of?
Please do let me know your reflections, my friends ❤️
Have the best day today!
Love,
Matt