Stale wine and morning breath
I had quite the fun and interesting weekend, I must say. I went down to Houston, and the drive back to Dallas always leads to a lot of mental self musing, since the drive is so bland. It was enlightening in a lot of ways - I feel like I got light on the whole "cycle of relationships" because of the people I got to hang out with, all in one weekend.
Start at the beginning of relationship land, high school love: I got to actually hang out with my ex girlfriend from high school (just post high school to be precise), who I haven't really seen for any substantial amount of time for at least a few years. We got to spend Saturday together and visit friends, goof off around Houston and just in general have fun seeing each other again - it made me remember a lot of memories of how you feel during that 'first dating' spark, about really just enjoying the company of the person that you're with, about really being with someone that you feel a connection with. The 'young love' phase of your life, when it's so easy to open up your heart without fear. The 'honeymoon' phase of dating, when nothing bad is on your mind because you're so giddy about the whole thing.
The next phase of course being marriage: for the first time since the wedding, I spent a good amount of time with my wonderful old friend Michelle and her new husband over the weekend. I got caught up on all the fun they had over the honeymoon and the great plans they were making together. Thinking no more just about their own life, but thinking of what they're excited about the family they're starting. Really enjoying the life of a married couple, but at the same time realizing the things that start to come with it - busy lives, taking care of each other, what it's like to really be around someone all the time. Totally excited and happy about everything that happening, dealing with the huge life change and eager about the huge life changes to come. Quite literally the 'honeymoon' phase.
Which takes us to the next big step, babies: I spent a fair amount of the weekend with another good friend, Alison and her cutie of a baby, Noah. We got to hang out at her house and in the park and we all took lots of pictures of her, Travis and Noah. Absolutely adorable - and it certainly brings clarity to a lot of what everyone goes through during the process of having a baby and starting to raise him / her. It's so easy for people to think about having a child and raising him / her as totally commonplace, overlooking the challenges that it brings. Of course for each of those challenges, there are so many beautiful moments - those moments of seeing them grow up, starting to make new steps in their lives - first words, first steps (first Halloweens ;p), and being able to experience that with another person that you love. Really working through big life changes with someone.
And on to the final, age: before going home, I went and spent some time with my grandmother on my father's side. Only my grandmother because my grandfather past away when I was pretty young. She is an amazing woman, and currently lives with my uncle in Houston, helping to raise his son and daughter. It amazes me to think about her life up until this point. Her and my grandfather had multiple children in India, raised them to be some amazing (and very different people), she moved here after my grandfather past away and the rest of the family was here, and helped to raise me as a child. It's so interesting to imagine her going through similar phases in life - being in love, getting married, having children. All in another time, ages ago. So much life there, so much experience, so much together with my grandfather, and then after his passing. I can't imagine how difficult that would be. And now she's helping to start everything again, raising children again (she actually has accidentally called my nephew Vijay, since he apparently acts like I used to as a kid). I hope that (many) years from now, I find myself in a similar situation - the full evolution of a relationship (of a family really) - living a long life, surrounded by family, spending time with grandchildren.
Time will tell, I'm sure.
I've also come to realize that I'm a very tactile person. I never really thought about it, but I absolutely am. I derive a lot of sensations from how something feels. There's such a huge range of tactile sensations - a giant hug from a good friend, or the feeling of curling up under the blanket on a cold day. Even more so, the huge range of responses you get while using your hands. Being rough with the weight and grip of rock climbing, the impact through your body when driving a nail into a new project, or the tingle in your fingertips from running them across guitar strings. Being gentle while discovering a new piece of soft fabric, running your hand through your very fluffy cat's fur, or the light touch against another person's skin. I love finding those new feelings, those new touches - each sensation unique and holding a distinct moment in my mind.
Backdated post - completed 12/10/07 10:52:00 PM
Start at the beginning of relationship land, high school love: I got to actually hang out with my ex girlfriend from high school (just post high school to be precise), who I haven't really seen for any substantial amount of time for at least a few years. We got to spend Saturday together and visit friends, goof off around Houston and just in general have fun seeing each other again - it made me remember a lot of memories of how you feel during that 'first dating' spark, about really just enjoying the company of the person that you're with, about really being with someone that you feel a connection with. The 'young love' phase of your life, when it's so easy to open up your heart without fear. The 'honeymoon' phase of dating, when nothing bad is on your mind because you're so giddy about the whole thing.
The next phase of course being marriage: for the first time since the wedding, I spent a good amount of time with my wonderful old friend Michelle and her new husband over the weekend. I got caught up on all the fun they had over the honeymoon and the great plans they were making together. Thinking no more just about their own life, but thinking of what they're excited about the family they're starting. Really enjoying the life of a married couple, but at the same time realizing the things that start to come with it - busy lives, taking care of each other, what it's like to really be around someone all the time. Totally excited and happy about everything that happening, dealing with the huge life change and eager about the huge life changes to come. Quite literally the 'honeymoon' phase.
Which takes us to the next big step, babies: I spent a fair amount of the weekend with another good friend, Alison and her cutie of a baby, Noah. We got to hang out at her house and in the park and we all took lots of pictures of her, Travis and Noah. Absolutely adorable - and it certainly brings clarity to a lot of what everyone goes through during the process of having a baby and starting to raise him / her. It's so easy for people to think about having a child and raising him / her as totally commonplace, overlooking the challenges that it brings. Of course for each of those challenges, there are so many beautiful moments - those moments of seeing them grow up, starting to make new steps in their lives - first words, first steps (first Halloweens ;p), and being able to experience that with another person that you love. Really working through big life changes with someone.
And on to the final, age: before going home, I went and spent some time with my grandmother on my father's side. Only my grandmother because my grandfather past away when I was pretty young. She is an amazing woman, and currently lives with my uncle in Houston, helping to raise his son and daughter. It amazes me to think about her life up until this point. Her and my grandfather had multiple children in India, raised them to be some amazing (and very different people), she moved here after my grandfather past away and the rest of the family was here, and helped to raise me as a child. It's so interesting to imagine her going through similar phases in life - being in love, getting married, having children. All in another time, ages ago. So much life there, so much experience, so much together with my grandfather, and then after his passing. I can't imagine how difficult that would be. And now she's helping to start everything again, raising children again (she actually has accidentally called my nephew Vijay, since he apparently acts like I used to as a kid). I hope that (many) years from now, I find myself in a similar situation - the full evolution of a relationship (of a family really) - living a long life, surrounded by family, spending time with grandchildren.
Time will tell, I'm sure.
I've also come to realize that I'm a very tactile person. I never really thought about it, but I absolutely am. I derive a lot of sensations from how something feels. There's such a huge range of tactile sensations - a giant hug from a good friend, or the feeling of curling up under the blanket on a cold day. Even more so, the huge range of responses you get while using your hands. Being rough with the weight and grip of rock climbing, the impact through your body when driving a nail into a new project, or the tingle in your fingertips from running them across guitar strings. Being gentle while discovering a new piece of soft fabric, running your hand through your very fluffy cat's fur, or the light touch against another person's skin. I love finding those new feelings, those new touches - each sensation unique and holding a distinct moment in my mind.
Backdated post - completed 12/10/07 10:52:00 PM
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