what to expect when you're expecting things to be the same

I ended up finally leaving the house and, after an eye-popping walk around Lauren's neighborhood, heading to the National Mall to meet a friend.









It was good to see Adam; we wandered around the Museum of Natural History (love that elephant!) and through the Hirschhorn, two of my favorite pieces of the Smithsonian pie.









It’s a little funny though; it seems like nearly every time I come to DC, I spend time with someone (from RIT or from high school, or sometimes just my sister) who renews my consciousness of the fact that I am not the same person I was when we met and became friends. The old status quo of our relationship, the uncomfortable things I was apparently okay with at the time that I would never take lying down now: they fascinate me.





I’ve changed so much so quickly, especially in the past five years, that following my development has become a bit like tracking that of a very small child. I see myself, for better or for worse, every day – but sometimes it’s only by seeing the past specters of myself that don’t quite fit, and aren’t quite right, that I fully comprehend how much I’ve grown.