Where did that person go?
That other girl from the other life was a good friend; a person who kept up with girlfriends face to face, in real time – not through screens, with several weeks or months slipping between contacts. We’d sit and talk in local coffee shops for hours. I’d show up for things; spur-of-the-moment nights on the town, board game evenings, book clubs, writing groups. Heck – I started half of those things. I was the organizer, the one who got us all together to connect over something interesting, to have meaningful conversations about our lives. I would shout out an idea; people would ask me for the time and place, and we’d make it happen.
Where did that person go?
In this life, I’m elbows deep in a trash bin reserved for diapers. I’ve probably got Auntie Anne’s crackers stuck to my sock. I’m all caught up on the latest Sofia The First episode, but don’t ask me my pick for Best Picture at the Oscars. I’ll save you time – I haven’t seen any of them.
When snatches of my old life appear – a whiff of a margarita, a concert invite that makes my toes curl but which, I’m sure, I’ll be unable to accept – it’s like being knocked in the head with a brick. Oh yes, I think. These are things that other woman would do. That other woman – me. The me I was before. The me who is still in there, somewhere, despite the visual evidence to the contrary provided by my stretch marks, stained mom-leggings, and blank social calendar.
Hi, Former Me.
Hello, you funny, hip girl with the golden afternoons that stretched before you, unscheduled, like the sea stretching to the horizon. I’d like to take you out sometime. Get to know you again. Remember this amazing modern invention called “Happy Hour?” You used to dig it. It’s great; there are chips and guac and cheap margaritas. And great music – remember how much you loved that? Come with me and have a drink; we can groove together.
I’ll buy.
Originally published HERE.
Jennifer Locke is a freelance writer and blogger for hire, as well as a YA author. She specializes in health, parenting, and the craft of writing. Jennifer writes articles, blog posts, and site content. When not writing, she’s usually wrangling her toddler twin daughters or nose-deep in a great book.
