Thirty-Seven

Gosh. Does that sound old? I would think nothing of someone else being 37, or 47 or even 77, but me, 37? It hardly seems possible.

I was looking through a box of old photographs tonight. Ones taken on cameras that used actual film.

I came across some from the days when Jen and I first started dating. I think about how young I was then. Just 20 when we met. I think about how then-me would never have imagined everything that's happened in the past 17 years. What would I tell my 20-year-old self? What would she have to say to me?

There were older photos. A few of me as a baby, a kid, a teenager. I don't have many clear memories of my childhood, but I have strong emotions tied to certain places. I wonder what my kids will remember of their own early years. It's hard to imagine that they won't remember sitting on my lap listening to book after book, or dancing in the living room to the same song played on repeat for over an hour. I hope what they do remember is happy.

The years go by quickly.