Unpacking

I've become a Facebook addict. I have reconnected with soooo many of my friends from elementary, high school and college that my brain is on overload. I keep having all these old memories dredged up and most are good, (which is nice to know!). The problem is that I've put all of these people and their memories in their boxes packed away in my brain for 10, 15, 20, 25 years and digging them all out is shorting out my synapses. I can't keep up.

One one hand, I recall grade school slumber parties, musicals, bell choir, and then the last day of 6th grade when we were heading out for a Girl Scout camping trip and my parents told me I was going to be moving to Pakistan in the fall. Back in 1985, a sixth grader didn't know where that was, so I had to ask. Nowadays, I bet most know. I cried and cried on that camping trip and I remember there was drama over a mouse in the cabin we stayed in.

Then I flash to living in Lahore, Pakistan and my first day of school there. I wore blue Jordache Jeans with multicolored pin stripes on tapered legs with zippers at the ankles and my hair was in a braided ponytail. I went from a chain link fence in my back yard to an 8 foot tall brick wall surrounding my entire house with barbed wire on top. I remember during Eid, the Canal would be full of floating goats heads from sacrifices. It was normal to me, which is strange now, because that is definitely not a normal sighting. I loved spring because of the kites in the market. They would hand make millions of kites and use glass covered string to have "kite wars" in the sky. You would try to cut each others string and bring down their kite. There were so many flying usually, you had your pick of targets.

Further ahead, I am a mess after a frat party my Freshman year in college, puking, falling down - live and learn! Well, I heard it happened again a few years later, no recollect of that one, though! oops. Just say "No" to Gold Schlagger! (or however you spell that). College was an epiphany, an adventure, and a chore. I should have had more Fun looking back. Nobody cares that you got an A in French when you're applying for a job in the real world.

Then I think of grad school, meeting my husband and everything speeds up to now, me, four kids, a mortgage, a mini van and Facebook.

I honestly never thought I would hear from people from Elementary again, and now I am. I can't believe how many people I know around the globe from Lahore. It's engaging, exciting, and a lot of work keeping up with it all.

My little boxes in my brain are getting dusted off faster than I can process them and it's completely insane!