9.19.2006

to my friends, Robin and Ian


this summer has been a poignant one for me. i have had the privilage of attending several weddings (including my own). part of me wants to mourn the loss of something that i can't quite put my finger on. our lives certainly have changed in the years that we first knew each other, and in many ways, we have each taken the path, that will inevitably move us towards the realizations of our own stories and at the same time, strangely, away from each other’s. it's a life i used to fear and assume (naively) was about giving up. choosing one path inevitably excludes so much that it can look like settling to someone who has yet to make those choices that start their own paths.

my point is this. i see now that we are all moving towards something far more rewarding than i ever thought possible, something sweeter. this adulthood that i feared for so long is about settling... but in a way i could have never understood. it is about finally making the choices that allow us to be the people we never knew we could be. it is about making choices bigger than us in the hopes that we will learn to be better than we are now. it's about faith. and it's more beautiful than anything we could have done in our youths.

congratulations Robin and Ian. two of the most inspiring and beautiful people i know. it has been a privilege to know you both and watch you grow. may each step you take together be sweeter than the last.

4 comments:

Robin said...

This made me tear up, Sean. Here's to becoming who we really are, and to always appreciating each other, and to sharing our successes! This summer was like sloughing off an old skin. We are all so much more secure now. We strive. You & Eileen are inspiring to us. May the circle be unbroken...xoxoxo your friends always, R&I

Robin said...

ps. I hope this isn't an eulogy to our friendship. DON'T GROW AWAY FROM MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Anonymous said...

you and eileen were married this summer, but the commitment was made long ago. all of our lives are moving in new, positive directions and taking new shape, whether that be jobs, relationships, locations etc. but it’s a shame to discredit our lives so far, and all the wonderful experiences and stories we’ve already got under our belts. with half our lives over, I believe that, for the most part, we are who we truly are. expecting the future to be more rewarding and beautiful than anything we could have done in our youths seems like an unnecessary compartmentalization of a lifetime. i would imagine that the past, present and future equally hold discovery, joy, difficulties, confusion, reward and beauty. as sweet and rewarding as our paths become, let’s not forget that we’ll always need good friends, outlets for creativity, inspiration, and even the chance to cut lose now and then.

Anonymous said...

You and Eileen were married this summer, but the commitment was made long ago. All of our lives are moving in new, positive directions and taking new shape, whether that be jobs, relationships, locations etc. But it’s a shame to discredit our lives so far, and all the wonderful experiences and stories we’ve already got under our belts. With half our lives over, I believe that, for the most part, we are who we truly are. Expecting the future to be more rewarding and beautiful than anything we could have done in our youths seems like an unnecessary compartmentalization of a lifetime. I would imagine that the past, present and future equally hold discovery, joy, difficulties, confusion, reward and beauty. As sweet and rewarding as our paths become, let’s not forget that we’ll always need good friends, outlets for creativity, inspiration, and even the chance to cut loose now and then.