5 Minutes With My Box

Who would have guessed that cleaning out a closet would rip me out of 2009 and send me flying back to the past? I started cleaning out my boxes of memorabilia from my youth. I'm not sure how I ever put a lid on those boxes, because they were teeming with stories, emotion, pain, and heart-breaking forgiveness that flew out at me as soon as I started sifting through the jumble.

* I found a crumpled piece of paper that held a reproof from a friend. I remember how angry I was because she was SO right... so I kept wadding the paper up in a ball, then unfolding it to read it again, and re-wadding it.

* I read a plea from a guy friend who told me he was so scared that our friendship would change after high school. He was afraid that I would move on with life and forget about him. Ironically, this guy has pushed me so far out of his life now that we haven't been able to even talk in years. Sad.

* I read letter after letter from one friend, apologizing for treating me so badly and wishing that she were a better friend. She was one of the best friends I've ever had and I never understood what she felt so guilty about. I still adore her whole-heartedly.

* I found a "love note" from a guy that I had never dated, telling me that he would never french kiss me because it symbolized ***. Gosh, that sure won my heart over as I ran screaming in the opposite direction. In case it's not clear, he didn't need to worry about the kissing bit. Really, really, really didn't need to worry.

* I found an old prom picture with a boyfriend who had scrawled "I love you" on the bottom. Dang I was skinny.

* I found love poetry that I wrote for Josh

* I found love poetry that I did NOT write for Josh

* I found multiple letters from a guy named "Mark" and couldn't for the life of me figure out who he was... Until I found some pictures and remembered freaky-guy Mark and how we had been pen pals until he sent pictures and I saw how freaky he and his life were.

* I found the letter that my first boyfriend sent in response to my "Dear John." His missionary companions had a few choice words for me after the breakup:

I've known Elder XXXXX since he first got here. He's an incredible man and a wonderful missionary. Are you sure you don't want to restate that lovely letter you penned him? Well, you know what, IT DON'T NOT MATTER CUZ HE DON'T CARE ANYHOW. ... I pray that your life in XXXXXless solitude will be as frutiferous as an Argentine street vender in Lomas de Zamora. With all my deep love and appreciation for the laughs, Elder Sanches

The other replies are less interesting/probably more so but in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish.

* I fought back tears as I read the sincere apology the above ex-boyfriend sent me a few months later:

You and your firendship have always meant a lot to me and just because you've decided to marry one of my best friends doesn't mean all that has to end...

He and I are still friends and I get together with his wife every month for a Girl's Night Out. That's the power of "moving on."

* I found an old email that a "friend" had sent to Mr. XXXXX while he and I were dating. In the email, this "friend" of mine demanded that he stop paying attention to me and start dating her instead. Since my boyfriend showed me the letter and let me REPLY to her from his account, I think you understand the way things were. Luckily for both of us, there was a problem with the mail server and she never got my reply. That was a stroke of luck.

* I found at least a dozen letters from a guy that I couldn't for the life of me remember. As I went through the box, I unraveled the mystery a little bit. Embarrassing to realize I'd forgotten him.

* I found several letters from somebody else that I still can't place. Sorry, Nelson, but I have no idea who you are. Even if we did correspond while you were a missionary.

* I found my ACT score of 32. Dude.

* I found two of the college recruitment letters that I got in high school. I had a whole box of them but apparently only kept the ones from Brown and Yale. I am very upset that I didn't keep the one from MIT. And I'm still slightly offended that I didn't get one from Harvard. They were the only Ivy League to ignore me. Hmph. All I can say is:

H-A-R

H-A-R

H-A-R with a V

V-A-R

V-A-R

V-A R with a D

Harvard boys are big and tough.

They know how to knit and stuff.

Harvard! Yoo hoo!

(Courtesy of my Yale alum family members)

* I found a short (VERY short) story I had written at a VERY young age. It was called "The Frozen Unicorn" and was so creative that I was jealous of the younger me.

* I found the famous Fight I had with one of my best friends while we sat in the back of a BYU class. I had no idea I kept it. She and I are getting together this weekend, and I can't wait to reopen this can of worms! Time brings great perspective.

That is only skimming the top of what I found in those old boxes of stuff. Someday I'll do a blog giveaway, and the prize will be FIVE SOLID MINUTES alone with My Box. If you don't laugh, cry and get some good inspiration for a melodramatic movie or novel, I guarantee your money back.