Yeah, We lost a lot of good men out there..

Doesn’t change suck? I couldn’t come up with anything more profound. I really didn’t want to. Considering that I feel like a teenager when I think about change, I find this rudimentary question appropriate.

Moving house, graduating high school and college are great experiences. But to me, they were more bittersweet than joyous. All the memories, all the friends and all the mundane experiences that are often taken for granted are suddenly extinguished. It’s as if, like all the candles on a cake, they are abruptly blown out. Except this time, you’re not an overzealous birthday boy/girl waiting to tear open presents, you’re an adult ready to familiarize yourself with a new environment.

I had the pleasure of attending a wedding this past weekend and in the process, reconnected with a number of people from college. One of my old roommates from the Beaver, (a house on our college campus) AKA the house of legends, and his wife stayed with us for the weekend. It’s amazing how I hadn’t seen or talked to some of our old friends in years, and yet, as soon as we were face to face, every memory and significant incident returned with ease.

Isn’t it crazy how a few months of the nine-to-five, business-clad routine changes a person? We had all changed. I hadn’t seen a number of these people in years. But it felt great to be able to have no small-talk, have no awkward silences, but to just jump into conversation as if we had just played a round of pong last weekend at the Trophy House. (Another Anderson hot spot).

It felt natural. Amidst all the change: rings on fingers, ironed shirts, titles next to our names, new hobbies, expensive cocktails instead of cheap beer in hand, it felt natural. Laughter and good times are never forgotten.

So now, after an extended weekend of story-telling and re-enactments, it’s back to the grind. Everyone has soberly and somberly headed home. It’s back to the office, back to the grind, back to the professional life. But at the next reception, or the next homecoming or Super Bowl party, re-living freshman year comes natural. It’s as if a few of the candles were re-lit and don't have to be blown out for a while.

So what did I take back from it? (This is a question I have learned to love) It’s as simple as this: Change is inevitable, so learn to adapt quickly. But along the way, never take anything for granted and make the most out of everything. Get to know everybody, even the little shifty kid in the back of Intro to Psych, the one that smelled bad and was addicted to Pokemon. Because you will see him again.

And finally, learn to love wedding season, take notes from Jeremy Grey and John Beckwith. After having seven to attend this summer, I have to admit, it’s my favorite time of the year.