Changing of the Guard

If the past few weeks are any indication of how my entire summer is going to pan out, I am super excited and quite possibly setting myself up for one of the best summers of my life. Of course, nothing can compare to long lazy days spent on the lake swimming, water skiing and playing tag with my brothers. Nothing ever will, but then, nothing really can. The days of summer when you are young and carefree will always be the best, the pinnacles of perfection.

This summer is the summer of the changing of the guard, of almost everything I've known until this point. My parents are moving in a month from the only house I've ever called home. Tomorrow, a friend I've known for ten years is adding her name to my mailbox and calling me a roommate. My brother and his wife are finally back in America for a few months at least, and in about a month will be parents, which inevitably changes everything. A few of my friends will marry and sadly one will even move on from her life in New York City; she will pick up and move her life to Colorado, start a family and never look back. And even though I've known her longer than I've known anyone (over 20 years) I somehow think things will never be the same. Nothing ever will, but then, nothing really can.

Some variables of my life will stay the same however; the intangible things I've unearthed over the past few months; things like rich laughter, happiness, inner peace and consummate joy; the things I'll look towards to keep me grounded when the world around me starts to shake.