Most of us probably still remember the friends we had in high school, whether or not they're still with us today. There was something so fleeting, and yet so permanent about the bonds we formed while running around town, talking about who we wanted to date, or being dropped off at home an hour past our curfew. The people we shared these moments with were there for us through our best, our worst, and ultimately, shaped who we became as adults. Ironically, growing up together inevitably means growing into adulthood--a time when friends who have spent their lives together up until that point, must head their separate ways and grow apart.
However, some friendships refuse to die as evidenced by these five boys who become men right before our eyes. Since 1982, John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer, Dallas Burney, John Molony, and John Dickson meet back at an old cabin every five years in Northern California to capture the same picture they took when they were 19-years-old. When asked why they do it, John Wardlaw (the man on the left) says,"We all thought, 'In 20 years, what if we all don't know each other?' By vowing to take a photo every five years, it would be a way to stay in touch."
What follows is not only journey through time and culture, but a vision of perennial friendship that I hope lasts well beyond their time on earth, wherever they may be.
1982 (19-Years-Old) - Fresh out of school and ready to take on the world!
It's pictures like these that make me think about my friends and where we'll all end up by the end of this long, winding road. The world can be a scary and temperamental place, but with friends like these, it's good to know there are some things you can always count on.
1987 (24-Years-Old) - I'm surprised none of them are sporting mullets!
1992 (29-Years-Old) - As they reach the end of young adulthood, they've learned that in general, grown men are supposed to wear shirts in public.
1997 (34-Years-Old) - Even as they got to the age of starting a family and moving ahead in their careers, they made sure to come back!
2002 (39-Years-Old) - Looks like the guy in grey may have hit the gym in the last five years!
2007 (44-Years-Old) - As they become middle-aged men, their smiles are filled with a bit less optimism, and a bit more world-weariness. All the more reason to meet up once again!
2012 (49-Years-Old) - In the absence of beer, he holds up his jar and declares, "Here's to the next five years!"
The impressive part is that all 5 friends intend on doing this forever, even if there's only one friend in the photo.
If you'd like to know more about these five friends you can check out their whole history at their website, here.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment