letters from my past

Between the years of 1999 and 2007, I moved a lot. Sometimes those moves involved a few trips down the hill from my parent’s place to my very first apartment while others forced me to choose just a carload of items to accompany me halfway across the country.

When your moves are that frequent, you learn which items are important to you, which sometimes requires tossing items you’d rather not. While I’m grateful for those experiences of whittling down my personal items as it has allowed me to be a person who puts less importance on physical items and I have a house that reflects that practice — uncluttered and clean (the latter could probably be argued against at present), I sometimes worried I was getting rid of too much.

My one saving grace for attaining any of my childhood memories during this period of continual moving was a storage chest that lived in my parent’s basement for that eight-year period. The chest had been a gift from my mom, who decorated it sometime during my middle or high-school years. I don’t recall exactly what I stored in the chest during those years but when I left for college, it became the official location of all items representative of memories of my childhood and beyond. Filled with journals, notes, cards and other keepsakes, the chest and its contents lay out the map and journey of my life. While some items make me laugh out loud and others pull at those corners of my heart I had attempted to bury with the ending of related relationships or friendships, I am so very grateful the chest and its contents were not the casualty of one of the many purges of my moves.

With all of that being said, I have decided to share some of these contents with the world — or at least the handful of people who read my blog. While I’m calling these posts “letters from my past,” they will vary from letters, journal entries, cards and, beyond the chest, pertinent emails. I’ll even include some (terrible) poetry from my past. (I didn’t start the Petite Poets for nothing all of those years ago.)

I’m looking forward to revisiting memories as I unearth items to post and hope they will provide some entertainment and perhaps a bit of insight into who I am and the 35 years that have molded me into that person.

So, without further adieu, letter one, chosen at random from Lewey the Lovestruck Valentine Gobbler, is a middle-school exchange between me and a girl friend written on notebook paper in varying primary colors. There’s no date on the note but, based on content, I’m guessing it’s from around 1996 or 97, which was sophomore or junior year of high school. Names have been changed (non-italicized) to protect identities. I’ve also included a “bonus” original piece of poetry below.

Nicole,

(Green ink) Hey sister! Wuz new! Not shit here. So are you writing you know who a note? So you want to go to the rec tonite? I’m only going to be there for a while. I’m going to pay for my ski trip. 

(Red ink) I brought my money. I want to go to Brad‘s but my dad’s coming to pick me up about 4:00 or 4:30 or sometime I don’t know when. Aren’t the colors cool. There very x-mas. Like don’t ya think! I’m changing colors know. Okay over. –>

(Yellow ink) Don’t the color just get cooler. You probably can’t even read this. So I’m changing colors. O.K. Well see ya.

(Orange ink) I’m being really weird don’t ya think. I think so. That yellow didn’t turn out right. I hope we can go Sat. that will be fun. Don’t ya think. We can check out all of the guys. That will be cool. That was close today in Math. I thought up a good story though. Over –>

(Brown ink) I’m back. Know these are way cooler colors. Don’t ya agree. Are you and Travis flirting? Bad, bad girl. Travis could be cuter if he didn’t look so young. He’s to small. He needs to develop a little don’t ya agree.

(Black ink) Rachel‘s probably getting pissed because I always write you and not her. But do I care NO! She can kiss my a.s.s.! Sorry about the languge. But she can. Well changing colors. Over.

(Purple ink) Know these are cool colors. These guys are so ugly. They need to get modernized. There to oldish looking.

(Blue ink) So do you want me to get Mike to tell me who he likes in geo. I will if you want me to. James is so majorly HOT!! Well don’t say or loose this note. I’m sure you think Jeff is hot to I’m sure. That’s you think. Did you see her like totally flipout? 

WBS — FF 

C-ya — J