Day 20 - Rebuilding Childhood Memories

I was up late last night and around midnight a thought occurred to me. I haven't made a fort in a while, you know the kind with blankets and couch cushions; and by a while, I mean almost twenty years!  I was giddy with excitement thinking about the epic fort I was planning when I realized I should photographically document this adventure. This way my sweetie could check it out when he got home from work (and I could blog about it). Then I thought it would be even better for him to walk into the living room and see it for himself. I decided I should stay awake to witness the reaction. So I waited up until 3 am and his expression and laugh were priceless. Even at 6'2, he crawled in to admired my work. 

It had all the modern conveniences, a PC with internet and video capabilities, my iPad to Sudoku to my hearts content, heat and cushions for comfortable reclining, even snacks (until I ate them all). Some of these are new additions to an age-old tradition and still some things were missing. My brothers. 

All of my fort making memories included two consistencies among many variations, my two younger brothers. They were my childhood playmates and we made impressive forts regularly. Inside, we'd play games, watch movies, go on grand adventures and have epic battles in larger-than-life imaginary worlds. Now we still make forts, usually with my nieces, and those days come flooding back to mind like a sweet smelling fragrance. They were my best friends. I didn't realize that or think of it that way until now. 

Now we have adult problems and grown up conversations. Reliving childhood experiences brings back the memories but not the innocence; Not the magic to erase the realities adulthood has wrought upon us. It's a bittersweet thing to have loved and depended on someone so much as a child and now think of them as an acquaintance, really. A dear, 'I'll punch you in the throat if you hurt them' acquaintance, but not much more. Now we share parents and a genetic marker or two; we love the same beautiful children, visit on holidays and some birthdays, but we are drifting. We like different things than we used to and have different tastes and motivations from each other. Our circles of life are in a constant drift in separate directions, as we start our own families and pursue careers. 

It's a little sad to think of the ebb and flow of relationships and experiences. So savor those from today, they're changing on you, soon they'll be a memory. But fear not, for they will be replaced by something beautiful and unknown. I can celebrate that.