A Snapshot in Time

I recently went to a graduation and saw an aunt I hadn’t really seen in about 40 years. Sure, we briefly crossed paths at a wedding once, but that barely counts. What I remembered of her was vivid - a moment frozen in time. My life was just beginning, and she seemed like someone from a different, dazzling world.

I remember her giving me advice - how to apply makeup in a way that would prevent wrinkles. She used language my family didn’t dare to use. I thought it was cool. She was bold, fun, full of life. She couldn’t believe I didn’t like potatoes and insisted I try hers. (Still not my thing, but I’ll never forget how hard she tried. That matters - being an active participant!) There was something so lively and loving in the way she lived. In my mind, she became a snapshot - forever young, forever vibrant.

But of course, life doesn’t hold still…my life went on. I grew up, weathered ups and downs, losses and wins. I changed. Yet when I found out I’d be seeing her again, I unconsciously expected her to be exactly the same person from that memory. Seeing her reminded me how memory traps people in the versions we once knew, while life quietly continues to evolve them...just like it’s evolved me.