Samantha: [talking about the night in the graveyard with Crazy Pete] He said something that didn't mean as much then as it does now... He told me that things happen in life that you can't stop but it wasn't a reason to shut out the world...
[sighs]
Wow... I realize that... I've been so afraid of the bad things that um... That I've missed out on the good... You know I didn't wanna come back here... But I'm really glad I did... I'd forgotten how much it helped to have you guys as friends... I'm really lucky to have this place... and each other...
I first saw the movie Now and Then when I was in middle school, which was perfect at the time since the characters played middle school kids. As I got older, I was able to reflect on what they did more and more. (Let's be honest, when I was 12 I really wanted to make a pact with my friends that we would be there for each other forever)
As I have grown up to be a young adult seeking to have a career, I look at that line from the film and realize just how much I relate to Sam. Even when I was a kid, I always related with Sam with her imagination and wanting to just get away from the small midwest town she grew up in. All through school and especially in high school, I was determined to move away from Ohio and go someplace that people understood me. I was determined not to be stuck here forever and I specifically remember that thought going through my 14 year old mind.
And just like Sam, I have the issue of running away from certain situations. It is just a horrible thing that I am certainly getting better at, but it's true. By my senior year of high school, I was ready to move on and get started on my life. I knew I would not be in contact with all of my friends from high school, which I was able to prepare myself for this thought since I was able to see an idea of this from my two older brothers who ventured that path before me. The idea of not having all the same friends from high school didn't bother me too much, since I was prepared for making new ones.
I'm actually happy that I never made a pact when I was 12 with my friends though, because things do happen in life that we can't stop. I had a ton of friends in high school, who I still am friends with on facebook (whatever that means), but am only in constant contact with only 1 of them. I met this friend in 2nd grade and we have grown so much closer since we have been in college, which I find funny because we live in different states. That just shows how some friendships can last the test of times.
Another reason I like this quote so much is because I have been able to be super thankful for the town I grew up in. It was a small town in the middle of nowhere in Ohio. Literally, it was in the middle of nowhere, like it was so small that Walmart said it would not build a store there since it was so small (the closest one was 30min away [more like 34 minutes away. I just google mapped it]). I hated the fact that we were not close to anything and were surrounded by fields. The city limits, because by population it was considered a small city (I still don't believe them on that), was a mile by a mile.
Now that you understand how small the town I grew up in was, I'm actually thankful for growing up there. I know I had days when I was bored, but I can remember all the good times I had with friends there. I was able to ride my bike around town with ease and really had a safe childhood.
This town wasn't perfect or anything. Each small town has their share of problems, but I was able to play in the orchestra, be in musicals and play, and have a lot of opportunities. Our small town even had a performing arts center in our high school. It wasn't perfect or anything, but it was still something to be proud of. I actually have a lot of proud for my hometown now after I left it.
Do I plan on moving back there? Heck no! I don't think I could ever live that far out in the middle of nowhere again, but it was perfect for my childhood.
The reason I feel so inclined to write about this is because I have had a lot of reflecting time and I've just realized how happy that I started out as a small town girl, because it has really helped me enjoy the little blessings and the great friendship that I have now.
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