We all change.
When you think about it, we are all different people, all through our lives.
And that's OK, that's good, so long as you remember all the people you used to be.
These are the final words of the latest Doctor in Doctor Who, the TV show about the humanoid alien that every so often regenerates instead of dying, changing body, face, and character, but retaining the memories of all his previous incarnations.
The words fit perfectly in the context of the story of the show, spoken right before the Doctor's latest regeneration.
But they resonated deep within me, because I can view the various phases of my life in a similar fashion.
We often talk with the Wife about our experience in the US, where we lived in California for 5 years. We have the photos, the videos, the memories. And yet it often feels like these were the lives of different people. We know it was us - but it was a different us.
Just like the Doctor, we seem to have been different people back then. Different habits, different jobs, different friends. Most notably, different characters.
When I move cities, countries, jobs, I change. I am becoming a slightly different person, but keeping all the memories of the past experiences. I was too young to realize that earlier. But now, almost 10 years since I left Greece for the first time, I have a much better perspective.
And that's OK. Change is good. I don't mind being a different person every so often. But now, more than ever, I realize the importance of remembering all the people I used to be.
