Bittersweet

The more press I read about the upcoming Sex & the City movie, the less I want it to happen. I loved the ending to that show; it was one of the most satisfying finales I've ever seen. The movie is undoubtedly going to stir things up, and I fear I will be left sorely disappointed. The way I was disappointed when, at long last, they came out with Back to the Future II. I don't mean to be a naysayer, but I think Sarah Jessica Parker and company are just setting us up for a big letdown.

As I get older, I am realizing that you can't go back. There's nothing wrong with a little nostalgia, but you have to live in the present. I learned this lesson the hard way at my first few college homecomings. Even though I was recently out of school, going back made me sad - because it was so clearly not the same as when I lived there. I met up with my friends, but the whole scene was different. The background people I had remembered, the acquaintances I would see out and about - they were gone. I just didn't live there anymore.

I have enjoyed going back to campus a lot more since then. I take the experience for what it is: a chance to hang out and catch up with the friends I arranged to see there. I have no expectations of running into other people I knew way back when. I'm not planning to be the social butterfly and see how many people I can talk to in a given night. I am fully aware that I am no longer in college. I plan to appreciate the great friends and great life I have now. Besides - was college that great anyway? Okay, sure it was. But for all of those good times in college, there were quite a few that were not so hot. Yet, I often seem to forget those. It's funny how our memories play tricks on us.

I hope I remember this when I'm 80.