I decided to go through some old boxes tonight, and what an experience that was.
There were pictures I hadn’t seen in a really long time and I have to admit, I found myself getting a little teary eyed looking at them. Some of them weren’t even of me, and still they had an emotional impact. There was one picture of my grandmother’s birthday, when she’d invited all of her friends over. In the picture, they’re all sitting around her kitchen table, leaning in to a group hug and laughing. It’s a moment caught in time because all of my grandmother’s closest friends have passed away since then.
Then there were the VHS tapes I found, including my special appearance on Street Scents in 2001 (my only TV appearance to date)! There was childhood video of a birthday party, complete with clown and video of Jennifer and myself playing the recorder at a school recital. I found high school footage of me dancing to Vengaboys at the talent show. All of the video is pretty embarrassing, but also extremely satisfying.
A few weeks ago, talking to Marc, I said that I felt like I’d lost my identity when I moved back to Montreal. I’d felt attached to being Donald with a house he shared with Patrick, where people came for a visit, I’d become familiar with the distance – and moving back into my parent’s basement – I wasn’t sure who I was.
Reliving these memories is a reminder of where I come from, and even-though they’ve slipped from my mind, these moments are only in the recent past. They remind me of who I am and what I want to be.
And some things, I’d totally forgotten. Like in High School, this girl – Rose – totally hated me, and I knew it then, but I forgot until seeing the video. And I wasn’t bad looking as a teenager. I think, having settled down I’ve forgotten that I can be attractive (not Zac Efron attractive, but fairly good looking) so all in all it was an awesome night!
Not to mention the framed poster I rediscovered for the last play I did, signed by the cast, that really got me thinking…
