Friday, February 13, 2009

Everything Changes. Nothing Changes.

In one of my American Studies seminars this semester, we just finished discussing "Rip Van Winkle." And one my fellow students and good friends put forth a particular interpretation (that he partially reneged on later, but hey . . . nobody's perfect . . . and I'm unsure how far, exactly, this idea could be carried out) that "Everything changes and nothing changes."

I mention this, because today I had lunch with a friend I haven't seen in--oh--three years or so. We were in the Institute choir together at good old Weber State, but she drifted off to LDSBC and I stayed in Ogden. Periodically, we'd see each other briefly and have half hour recaps of all fundamentally important things in our lives.

She's married now, graduated, and working a full-time job. I'm single, graduated, had worked, and am now back at school.

In short, we're not exactly the same as we were three years ago.

And yet, everything changes and nothing changes. We've both moved locations; we've both changed phases of life; we've both had our share of drama over the last three years. And yet, she's still someone I can be fundamentally myself with. I don't have to filter. I don't have to pretend. We are who we are, and we don't have to hide it.

Everything has changed. Yet nothing has changed.

Oddly, it's a good feeling.

3 comments:

Jenny said...

An interesting sentiment.
Little things change. Things change all the time. But the things that matter never really do.
The sun always comes up. And your basic personality doesn't change. Aspects of it do, but not your... aura for lack of a better term.
There are always constants in this world.

tammyfaye22 said...

I often feel like that. I feel like I'm progressing and getting somewhere and yet at the same time I feel stuck. However, I sometimes t hink the change is so gradual that we don't even notice it until later. And even then it may not seem like that big of a deal even if, in all reality, it is. This is a big subject to think about.

Annie said...

It's nice having friends that stay "constant" even when they (and you) change. Being able to be yourself no matter what difference have occured.

Sorry I haven't commented in a long time. I've been very bad at that. But I've been bad at writing on my own blog, so I guess they go hand-in-hand. :D Maybe I should start doing that again, but it's difficult when you feel you have nothing to write about. [sigh] ;) That's what I get for leading a boring life.