The above are lyrics from The Beatles' song, "Hello Goodbye."
I finally started packing for the big move last Thursday, and placing all of my books in boxes I came across books that I read in junior high, high school, and college. I saw books that I bought in Chester, books that I bought in Portland, books that I bought in Redding, and books that I bought in Chico. It seems like books have always been there for me through good and bad times, and while I absolutely love reading-- but while this is sort of what I want to talk about it isn't.
"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in something strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense," J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Thus I began reading Harry Potter ten years ago, not knowing anything about the world in which Harry Potter lived in, or knowing what type of world J.K. Rowling was going to create. I did know that there was a craze around the Harry Potter series, but I wasn't sure how much of it was deserved. Ursula K. Leguin, after all, had written a series about a boy named Sparrowhawk that goes to a school for wizards. So what made this new series by J.K. Rowling so important? At the time, I didn't think it was that important-- so I avoided the series for four years.
Then friends and family began recommending it to me. And once I had read that first sentence, I read the next, then the next, then the next; until finally, I was hooked on Harry Potter-- and I hadn't even finished the first book, or got a quarter of the way through! But when Hagrid knocked down the door and introduced himself to Harry, I was convinced that I could at least get through the first book. It was the spring just before the first movie would come out. Then after reading the first book, I read the second, and I continued reading all of the books until I finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire two weeks after first opening Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I had tried to avoid the series, but once I began J.K. Rowling got me hooked on her story-telling abilities and Hogwarts wasn't like anywhere else I had been before. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was released that fall.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released in hardcover in July 2007. I was staying in my friend's apartment that year whilst working at Lowe's, and trying to find a house for myself and four other friends for the next year of college. But when I wasn't working and looking for a new house, I finished reading the Harry Potter series. That summer Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix also made it to the movie theaters, so while I knew that I would probably never read a new Harry Potter novel, I also knew that there were a few more movies that I could watch. Now, in 2011, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has been released.
The movie itself is an appropriate/worthy capper to what might be the most phenomonal film series ever. Harry has grown into a man, and doing so he is now ready to face Lord Voldemort. Furthermore, he accepts what he needs to do even though it might be hard doing it. I don't want to give away the movie, so I'm going to conclude this paragraph by saying: The story is complete. And with this conclusion comes the reality that there will most likely never be another Harry Potter movie; moreover, I probably wouldn't want to see it if Warner Bros. did make another. I love these stories as much as the next person, but it is time to wish Harry, Ron, and Hermione good-bye. I kind of like that Harry Potter is ending this year, because it runs almost parallel to my own life. As Harry and co. get ready to say good-bye to Hogwarts, I get ready to say good-bye to Chico. Both have had magic, but not necessarily magic that has come from a wand. Yes, Harry Potter has that too, but it is more a story about friendship, love, and growing up. That is the type of magic that I have found in Chico.
Last night, I had the honor of getting together with some of the best people that I have met since coming to Chico. For one night, Nate, Doug, and Kerrick all returned to say good-bye to David Emmert before he headed off to China, and I was there to laugh with my friends and to celebrate this chapter in David's life coming to a close. At the same time, I allowed it to wash over me, and to feel that it was the close of my time in Chico. I have been blessed in getting to know each of these men, and I have learned much from them as well. So it is appropriate that on my last full weekend in Chico, I was able to hang out and spend time with them.
And while I loved spending time with these great men, I also loved having Craig there with us. Craig has been a very good roommate over the last couple of years, and I have had a lot of fun getting to know him better. He will also be leaving Chico, and it is my hope that he will have a full and happy life. I have loved watching him grow over the last couple of years, and he has grown into someone that I count as a very good friend. I will miss him when I move.
Nate, Doug, Kerrick, David, Craig. Friends that I have either had to say good-bye to or am saying good-bye to-- at least for now. Because this weekend, I was also reminded by a very old friend that years can pass but friendship still remains. This weekend along with getting to hang out with some of my very good friends, I also went to see Winnie the Pooh. As a preschooler and elementary school student, I absolutely loved Pooh. And in many ways Pooh & co. were my best friends. I remember waking up early to watch The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh on Saturday morning. As I got older, I stopped watching this cartoon, and left Winnie the Pooh behind me-- or so I thought until I saw the trailer for the new movie. Seeing the preview of the new movie, I was hit with a sense of nostalgia and readiness to return to my childhood... to return to Pooh Corner. And in spite of being a 27 year old man, I was able to return at least for an hour to the place of my childhood. But Pooh in his simple way reminded me that while we might grow up, get older, move away, and face challenges, we don't lose who we are and we don't lose what those things that are important like friendship.
Therefore, I leave a couple songs that I believe are perfect for this occassion.
1. "Return to Pooh Corner" by Kenny Loggins.
"...It's hard to explain how a few precious things, seem to follow throughout all our lives..."
2. "So Long" by Zooey Deschanel
"I Hate to see the end, the end,‘Cause it's been so long since I've made a friend like you."
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