New Old Friends

Ran into some old friends that I hadn't seen in almost a year today. It was funny because I was just talking about one of them yesterday and I ran into him at the studio tonight. We did the usual "where you been ats?" and "What's goings ons?" and then just fell into the routine like we never missed a beat. What was noticeable to all of us was how much we had grown since then. One of the first thing one of my friends said about me was "your confidence is different". I noticed the same about them. One of them had a daughter since the last I saw him and I could see the maturity that having a child had generated within him. He was still a little bit of the same ol' silly self, but he definitely had an aura of being more aware of what was going on, something he lacked before. My other friend was still a little bit frustrated about his current situation but he had taken more control of his life, doing things like attaining his GED, and that made him a little more "matter-of-fact" when discussing his grievances, mentioning them not in an effort to suck people into his own misery, but merely to discuss his feelings, a huge difference, trust me.

All in all, I was reminded of how valuable time is. How so much can change about people in just a year. How critical events can shift mindsets so vigorously, pushing people in new directions, creating an almost natural selection scenario; adapt or perish. I think about how much I've changed since I last saw them, how much of my life has changed. I think about how much more I will change in the next year. How will I be one year from now? I know the more I delve into my ongoing process of self-examination, I can only improve. I'm excited for my future. I'm excited for what God has in store for me. I'm grateful for running into my "new old friends". After they left, I sent them a message letting them know that it was great to see them and that I missed them....A new me indeed...