last days in my apartment (life)

I am a sentimental person. I remember keeping one pair of smelly, old sneakers for a very long time because I had walked through New Zealand, Ithaca and Canada in them. If I find photos, I will stop everything and tell stories to whom ever is around me. I think of conversations I have had and get caught up in the details of what was happening and how I was feeling. Moving is always an exercise in sentimentality.

I am alone in my apartment right now, thinking about all of the things I have done here, all of the memories I created while this was my home. I think of the people who have drifted back into my life while this was my home; some were distant acquaintances and others were close friends who had been inaccessible for many reasons. I think of those who have drifted from my life because of geography, death and other reasons.

And, I think about what my 28 year held for me. I moved in a few weeks before my birthday and will be leaving with only a few weeks left to this year of life. It has been a good year in so many ways. I learned that I want to become a good teacher, have become more comfortable with who I am, and feel very close to so many people. I think, this year has also held some of my hardest times. It feels so strange to leave those things behind.

But, now, I will have another place to create memories and a whole new year. I could never have predicted all of the things that this last year held for me. In one year from today, I am sure that I will feel the same about all that is to come. That brings comfort.