Beautiful piece, Rachael. I think it captures the bittersweet essence of growing up, filled with nostalgia, self-discovery, and the enduring connections that anchor us through life's changes. Your ability to weave personal, thoughtful memories into a universal narrative always surprises me. Loved it, and glad I could be of help.
Ooof I loved this. You ask so many great questions–when do we start growing old? That's a good one. And at the beginning you paint such a rich scene! It's that moment in your childhood where you remember things, your are not a child per se, but there is much life ahead of you, so much you don't know. You took me back to my childhood days...both my summers in San Andres in Colombia and my summers in Seattle riding backs with my friends, playing wiffleball, and lots of Xbox.
Great and needed essay Rachael! Genius move highlighting how emotional growing pains are as, or even more, important than the physical ones. A tender reading that is food for the soul, and a great reminder that this loop never ends, and that we should be the ones carrying it forward!
This is so beautiful: "I will not let pain fester in my soul. I’ll massage it tenderly, healing myself so that I can heal others."
My favourite back-to-school memories were in university. When I'd have to pack my bags after spending a few weeks with my family and fly 5 hours away to another country. It's always a little bit sad, but a necessary bittersweet moment. And once I'm settled back into my university dorms, I go down to the cafeteria to have my favourite noodle-soup combo. Some familiar faces will appear, having flown back from their home countries too. THOSE moments are the best.
Beautiful and thought provoking. :)
Interesting thought about when does growing up change into growing old? One I'll be thinking about a lot I think. Thank you :)
Beautiful piece, Rachael. I think it captures the bittersweet essence of growing up, filled with nostalgia, self-discovery, and the enduring connections that anchor us through life's changes. Your ability to weave personal, thoughtful memories into a universal narrative always surprises me. Loved it, and glad I could be of help.
Ooof I loved this. You ask so many great questions–when do we start growing old? That's a good one. And at the beginning you paint such a rich scene! It's that moment in your childhood where you remember things, your are not a child per se, but there is much life ahead of you, so much you don't know. You took me back to my childhood days...both my summers in San Andres in Colombia and my summers in Seattle riding backs with my friends, playing wiffleball, and lots of Xbox.
Lovely piece (as always)
Great and needed essay Rachael! Genius move highlighting how emotional growing pains are as, or even more, important than the physical ones. A tender reading that is food for the soul, and a great reminder that this loop never ends, and that we should be the ones carrying it forward!
I liked how you separated growing up to more than just physically growing; I think the emotional aspect is vastly, vastly underrated :)
This is so beautiful: "I will not let pain fester in my soul. I’ll massage it tenderly, healing myself so that I can heal others."
My favourite back-to-school memories were in university. When I'd have to pack my bags after spending a few weeks with my family and fly 5 hours away to another country. It's always a little bit sad, but a necessary bittersweet moment. And once I'm settled back into my university dorms, I go down to the cafeteria to have my favourite noodle-soup combo. Some familiar faces will appear, having flown back from their home countries too. THOSE moments are the best.
One day you'll be saying, "At 92, I still feel like I’m in my youth."