I met up with an old friend, whom I haven't seen in four years, tonight. It was funny because he looks exactly the same, and I feel like I look the same, but apparently I don't (apparently my face is longer?) and even more apparently, I don't act, talk, or seem the same at all. He knew me for a summer when I was 19, and I would venture to say that even though we didn't know each other all that well (I don't think I knew myself that well at that point), hearing him tell me that I seem more liberated, happier, and more confident leads me to believe that perhaps he knew me better than I thought he did.

And then I really started thinking... four years has passed since we'd last seen each other. Four years! Can you imagine what your life will be like four years from now? How much HAS changed since then? For one thing, when he first met me, I had never even been kissed, let alone had a boyfriend or any sort of socioromantic (or physical) experiences. I would venture to say that aspect alone has changed me a lot. I wasn't comfortable in my new body, having just lost quite a bit of weight in a short period of time - and it was my first real job with real responsibilities. Four years later, I can't even begin to recount all of the incredible learning experiences I've had, all the dumb mistakes I've made, and how much I've learned from them. And I have noted that I am more self-assured and self-aware.

Anyway I will write more about it when I am not so exhausted. I'll leave you with a nice snapshot of me and him, circa summer 2002: