Once Upon A Time

Typically, you’d find my Flighty Friday rambles here, as today is Friday. Alas, as the writer, I am taking liberties to change up the post for today.

.:: Once Upon A Time
I did it. I went through my entire list of 177 Facebook (FB) friends. I took a moment to write a nice salutation to each and every one of my friends. The entire project took 14 days, and I enjoyed all 14 days.

Oftentimes we are told: Look forward not backward; Live in the present; Don’t get bogged down with yesterday; Focus on today; etc. It’s true, you can do more with the present than you can with the past. And, rehashing bad experiences of the past does little to no good. However, sometimes it is nice to reflect back to the past. Good memories should be relived; so says me, anyway.

As I posted comments to each FB friend, I was able to relive countless memories. And, I am amazed at how much those memories mean to me. I haven’t seen or talked to many of my FB friends in years – over 30yrs for some, in fact. Yet, when I recall a memory, I can still see and hear their smiles and laughter. I can still recall the stories they shared with me, as well as the advice they gave me. And, when I remember moments from my school years, it’s as if I am walking the halls all over again.

The moments with many of my FB friends are merely blips in time, but even a blip can last forever as a memory. As I went through each and ever person on my FB friend list, it was another example of how easy it is to touch the life of someone else for better or for worse.

I have a temper. And, there is an email that went around for years regarding a boy with a temper who was instructed by his Dad to hammer nails into a fence whenever he was mad. Well, after a few days of being mad and hammering the nails, his Dad told his son to pull out the nails. When the nails were removed, the fence was full of holes. The point of the story is to show how anger can damage things, even when one apologizes. Holes remain.

Now, I am not trying to convey that some of my FB friends left me with holes. And certainly, I hope I haven’t left any holes in my FB friends (or anyone else). However, it brings home the point (nails the point, perhaps?) that even ‘blips’ in life can leave a mark. And, it serves as another reminder to me that I need to – while living in the moment – realize someone may look back and recall something I said or did. My hope is their recollection will be a good thing. I need to work on that.

I realized something else, as I went through each and every FB friend. I realized I had a crush on many boys in school. Yes, odds are that any of my male FB friends from school were a crush of mine. Are you one of my FB male friends from school? Did you talk to me in school? Did you look at me in school? Did you accidentally bump into me while walking down the halls or in class? Did I accidentally bump ito your while walking down the halls or in class? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, then I am here to tell you – I probably had a crush on you. Don’t worry. I am happily married, and my ‘driving by your house’ days have long gone by. And no – I didn’t drive by your house. You lived too far away. In our next life, would you please live closer? Thanks.

So, once upon a time, for a moment, I had a friend in my life. My friend left behind his/her personal imprint on my life. And, I have thought about that imprint a time or two, remembering the good times. I may never see my friend again, but I will reflect back on his/her imprint, happily ever after.