Straight Up Jankey

Elam-sister-reunion 2010 has already come and passed. Having my sister around for the past ten days has been a welcome comfort in a new life that I am still adjusting to. When we are in eachother's presence, its as if no time has ever passed at all...sure there is the obligitory catching up to do, but we are always tuned into one another's brains like a couple of freaky Siamese twins. Though, I didn't realize how much I had missed her until Matt and I dropped her off at the airport. Time eventually soothes the pain of distance, but the constant "goodbyes" keep pulling at the tender sutures. I'd like it if everyone that I loved didn't live on opposite ends of the continent...but what can be done? The future is painfully opaque, and one never knows where it may lead them next. But, I suppose its all part of the human experience...what would happiness mean if it were never tempered by a sting of sadness? Overwhelming joys and painful lumps of sad emotion in the throat: all beautiful, and all necessary.

Wistful lessons aside, it has been a wonderful summer and it will soon be coming to a lovely close (even though I am trying to pretend that I don't notice the leaves changing). It is hard to believe that I have been here for nearly a year! I've come a VERY long way from when I first arrived, suitcases and cat in-hand. I'm a little older now...I FEEL older now. But not in that whiney "oh I still wish I was 18" kind of way. Adulthood is new territory, and its not all bills and taxes either. Its weird...you never really notice yourself turning into an adult, and then all of the sudden you look around and you're like "wait a minuet, I'm driving myself to the grocery store to pick up stuff to cook for dinner...wasn't I just playing in the sprinklers like 2 seconds ago? OH where has my childhood gone?!" But then you get over it when you realize you no longer have to ask your parents to drop you off at the mall or have to finish any algebra homework.