Old Friends, New Me

*****CHALLENGE UPDATE*****     

     Technically it's 4:12am on the 27th where I am right now, but I haven't slept yet.  I've already kind of adopted this position but I'm making it official now:

     Until Sunrise at my current location, if I haven't slept, it isn't the next day yet.

     I realize I'm cutting it kinda close this time, but sunrise isn't for several sincere and meaningful minutes here yet, so I'm good as long as this update isn't a very long one.

*****UPDATE COMPLETE*****

     So, I have a couple of friends visiting tonight, one I haven't seen in months, another that I haven't seen in years.  It's both strange and familiar to have them in my home again.  Strange because I am not the same person I was several years ago, yet familiar because we were so close that it is natural for us to fall into the old patterns.  Its good to have them here, but its also an enlitening experience for me.

     It's kind of unnerving to realize that you aren't the person you remember being.  Me from the time when being with these people was a regular occurrence was a much more different person than I had previously thought.  I guess I changed more than I realized in the ensuing years.  Not physically, mind, and not even my about ward attitude that much, but my internal self has changed.  The core of what makes me 'me', my outlook and innermost feelings aren't the same as they were back then.  The ghost of my old self is still there, I can feel him especially now with so much of my past staring me in the face, but I'm not that person anymore.

     And that's a scary thought.

     Don't get me wrong, I love that my friends are back in my life, no matter how fleeting the visit has to be.  I'm just commenting on the strangeness of looking back and realizing not only how far I've come, but how much the road has changed me along the way.

     I hope we don't lose touch again.  I would like to see where our friendship can go from this new starting point.

     Anyway, that's my thoughts for today.  Just a nugget of wisdom for you to chew on:  Don't be afraid to look your past in the eye, you may not always like everything you see, but it's a great way to measure who you are in the present.

     Goodnight, all!