Before I tell you about my weekend, let me emphasize that during most of our year in Syria, church every Friday was our only exposure to English speakers. And during most of our year in Syria, there were only four people at church besides Jeremy and me. Two of those four people were also in Jeremy's classes at the University of Damascus. It was a perfect storm of getting to know those two people (and a third who was in the class but not at church - hi, Hannah!) really, really well.
That was ten years ago. And last weekend, we got to go visit one of those friends in Abu Dhabi, since that's where he just moved. It was the first time in my life that I sat down and talked about the Good Old Days. I didn't even know I had Good Old Days. But apparently I do, and they were in Syria, and they were with these people who I got to know so well there.
I've been thinking about it since this weekend, and I think there are several essential elements to Good Old Days.
But one thing is still missing, otherwise I have a few Good Old Days - my time as a student in Japan, and my freshman and sophomore years at the BYU. And that is:
A litmus test to determine if something is really Good Old Days is whether any and all discussion about it is borderline annoying/boring to people (such as spouses and kids) who weren't there during the Good Old Days themselves.
Our time in Syria with Sterling (and Steve and Hannah) meets all these conditions. I think this means I have my first Good Old Days!
That was ten years ago. And last weekend, we got to go visit one of those friends in Abu Dhabi, since that's where he just moved. It was the first time in my life that I sat down and talked about the Good Old Days. I didn't even know I had Good Old Days. But apparently I do, and they were in Syria, and they were with these people who I got to know so well there.
I've been thinking about it since this weekend, and I think there are several essential elements to Good Old Days.
Awesome adventures
+
Awesome people
+
Closer proximity and/or constantly in each other's company
+
Clear-cut start and end to all of the above;
followed by
a distillation/separation period of, apparently, 10ish years.
But one thing is still missing, otherwise I have a few Good Old Days - my time as a student in Japan, and my freshman and sophomore years at the BYU. And that is:
Sitting around as grown-ups talking about it all.
A litmus test to determine if something is really Good Old Days is whether any and all discussion about it is borderline annoying/boring to people (such as spouses and kids) who weren't there during the Good Old Days themselves.
Our time in Syria with Sterling (and Steve and Hannah) meets all these conditions. I think this means I have my first Good Old Days!
 |
| Big Sterling meets Little Sterling |