Old Stompin' Grounds

This past weekend, I visited some friends and celebrated my sister’s birthday. As the saying goes, I traveled back to my old stompin’ grounds. I lived there for nearly eight years, and a big part of my heart will always reside there. It was in this town that I experienced heartache and growing pains. I did a lot of things wrong and found out the hard way. But more than anything, I created lasting memories that continue to leave a smile on my face. When I look back on college and the years after, I remember being surrounded by people that love me. We laughed… a lot. We cried… probably too much. We loved… oh boy, did we love.

As I reflected on the weekend, I couldn’t help but continue smiling; however, now it’s for a different reason. I smile because those memories have crafted me. While it does sound cliché, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without those memories – both good and bad. To be completely honest, it took me a long time to feel okay with memories. There seemed to be too many that hurt, and for some reason, I focused on those. As I’ve gotten older, I know that those memories are not going anywhere. Nothing is going to erase them, and that’s okay. It’s okay because I’m better because of them. It’s important not to dwell in them. Otherwise, I would be left living in the past. Instead, I will spend my time creating new memories.