I was digging through old files today because it's time to renew my TSA Precheck. Riveting adult content, I know.
Somewhere between tax documents and paperwork I haven't looked at in YEARS, I found my old Blockbuster card.
I promise you, with Meta as my witness, this is a personal treasure I will NEVER throw away!
To anyone under 30, this is probably just an old piece of plastic to you. To me, it's proof I grew up during a time that felt wonderfully simple. I grew up in a time when we didn't realize all the things we would inevitably miss until they were long gone.
People always say hindsight is 20/20, but maybe one of life's cruelest jokes is how rarely we know when we are experiencing something for the last time.
The last kiss...the last hug...the last family dinner...the last Sunday drive...the last hike...the last sleepover...the last time you carry your child before they're too big...the last first kiss...the last conversation with a loved one...the last visit to your favorite movie rental store...the last...you get the idea.
I cannot remember my last trip to Blockbuster. However, I can remember dozens of trips before it.
I remember going to rent movies for weekends at Grandma and Grandpa's house, usually choosing one of the same five movies over and over because I was a kid and my obsessions were simple.
I remember racing to the video store with friends after school on sleepover Fridays, so we could grab the newest releases before somebody else beat us to them.
I remember wandering the aisles with my parents before a night of babysitting my younger siblings, trying to decide whether I should rent something I wanted to see or something they'd watch quietly without causing complete chaos.
I remember date nights that started with a trip to Blockbuster. The movie selection was practically part of the relationship assessment. Want an excuse to cuddle? Horror movie. Want to laugh and get to know each other? Comedy. Want to spend more time talking (or not talking) than watching? Pick something you've already seen.
The movie almost didn't matter, but the experience did.
I really cannot recall a bad trip to Blockbuster. Sure, it was disappointing when every copy of the movie you'd been dying to see was checked out. Even then, you'd wander around a little longer, discover something unexpected, and somehow still leave happy.
There was anticipation. There was possibility. There was the simple joy of physically going somewhere to find entertainment instead of scrolling endlessly through 437 streaming options while slowly losing the will to watch anything.
Today, looking at that old Blockbuster card, I am realizing it represents something much bigger.
It is a reminder to pay attention. Right now, today, every one of us is probably living through moments we will one day miss just as much.
There are routines, traditions, relationships, places, and experiences happening in our lives at this very moment that will eventually have a last time attached to them.
The problem is we will not know when it happens.
Soooo...maybe the lesson isn't to mourn the things we've lost. Maybe the lesson is to appreciate the things we still have while they're here. While WE are here. To notice them. To enjoy them. To be present enough that when the last time eventually comes, we at least got the most out of it.
As for Blockbuster, I'd give just about anything to wander those aisles one more time. Even if the movie I wanted was already checked out. 💛💙
Do you remember your last trip to Blockbuster?
What's a routine experience from your past you took completely for granted, only to later realize you'd already experienced it for the last time?
