Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Boop Boop



I have a close friend whose family, when ending phonecalls with other family members, rather than saying "love you" or say "goodbye" exclaims "BOOP-BOOP" into the phone in a funny high pitched voice, and then hangs up really quickly. I'm not actually sure where this tradition came from. It was once explained that giving someone a "boop boop" is its own term of endearment, perhaps even stronger than saying something literal. A more personalized declaration of family love. I can't begin to tell you how much I love this tradition. This family lives just outside Baltimore. In the 9 years Phil and I have lived here - a painful 400 mile distance from our own families - we've adopted them (and their traditions) as our own - inviting ourselves to school plays, weddings, football games, family dinners, and even the occasional holiday. Normally, I'd wonder if I was imposing, despite their incredibly welcoming personalities, but our phone calls with each of them end in Boop Boops too. It's lucky to have an extended family wherever you make it. For my friend's 30th birthday, I made him and his girlfriend (also a close friend) this special sign to hang in their kitchen. We took a photo of it on the train tracks by their house before hanging it up. A nice reminder to find words to live by + love by, whatever they mean to you. Language is a pile of words you can use to say whatever you want, really. It's nice to know.

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