piled up

the saying "you can't take it with you" is only true when it comes to physical things and dying. throughout life, we take it all with us. every experience we have, every thing we deal with, survive, struggle through, succeed at...it all comes with us. some of our past experiences weigh more heavily (good or bad) upon us, but when we move forward, they are all with us, shaping who we are and affecting our responses. one of the great things about being human is our ability to learn from the past and apply it to the future.
oddly enough that thought, which is somewhat obvious, was invoked by watching tv last night (as i worked). i've often wondered why certain moments burn into your memory deeper than others do. some of those memories are seemingly insignificant, some of them are bold and powerful. all of them have something to teach us.

when i was little, i got into a fight with my best friend. we wrote each other notes back and forth, because we were just to angry to talk (i can't recall what we were upset about). i finally wrote "i'm going home. buy." she wrote a note back "it's spelled BYE, when you're leaving." i've never misused the word since.

in high school i followed through in calling a classmate who wrote in my yearbook "we should hang out sometime, give me a call." we'd never hung out outside of school, but she later admitted to me that she thought it was a very cool thing that i actually called her to hang out. we're still friends. and i still call aquaintences who show interest in spending time with me. i've made some great friends that way.

one of my high school teachers was dealing with a family member's death at the same time the entire student body was dealing with losing a classmate. she told us "sometimes, you just have to fake it until you can make it." this rule applies to so many things in life. you've always got your family and friends to lean on, but no one wants a sad sack hanging around...sometimes you just have to pretend you're having a good time and before you know it, you really are.

childhood innocence may lessen as we age, but we always have the capability to be silly. over the weekend, my nephew sang songs and giggled like crazy. we all joined in, singing the itsy-bitsy spider, complete with hand gestures...it brought a smile to each of our faces. so innocent, so easy.

at dinner with a friend recently, i commented that it was just to hot to put pants on (i was wearing a dress). he noted that several people turned to look at us. i wasn't embarassed at all. i realize what i said was funny, because of what it implied, so i laughed.

after a very rainy day and a half of a softball tournament when i was younger, the sun finally made an glorious appearance. as we took fly balls in the outfield, we laughed and played hard. my fly ball was hit way short and i decided to dive, making the catch into a huge puddle of water (which i didn't realize was there until after the fact). i played the entire game, soaking wet, but was never afraid of diving for a ball after that. it made for some fantastic plays throughout my softball career.

i'll try to think of some other funny lessons i've learned. anyone have any to share? i'd love to hear them.