rat vs. snake

today i received a reply to a message i sent five years ago.  this made my eyes well just a touch.  obviously i am fond of the written word and these words took some serious time and reflection to create.  it was immediately apparent that they were naked and honest as well.  i read the reply first as my 2013 self and then again as my 2008 self, attempting to determine whether or not i’d changed in that window of time.  i concluded that i had not changed (perhaps due to my own stubborn stance on the concept).  but it was amusing to think of my natural responses to those words as both current-me and five-year-younger-me.  for example, with regard to a statement about a nearly-blinding eye infection my 2008 reflection would have streamed, “eye -- lazy eye -- silversun pickups – music video with that girl with pixie hair – i wonder where she is now?”.  but now my mind goes something like, “eye – aye – bands love it when you yell ‘yar!’ at them – minus the bear – cat’s cradle – girl in the front row – i wonder where she is now?”.