Stop acting like you’re still in High School

Then you have another group of folks who couldn’t wait to go back to their hometowns and high school reunions to show all the cool kids that though they may not have been a part of their “in crowd” in high school, they have now made something of themselves and /or look much better than they did back then. (In my opinion, we all looked goofy – go ahead, check your year book and and tell me different). As a matter of fact, in junior high school I was called big-nose, gonzo, toothpick, the runt of the litter – now I would kill to be called “toothpick.”

Being back in my hometown just this past week and driving around all the back roads I used to travel, things looked and seemed so different. The thought came to me, sometimes you just can’t go back to the way things used to be. Even if you try, things are always different. I couldn’t imagine moving back home and running around with the same people I used to run around with in high school, not that they’re bad people, we’re just different. We’ve gone in totally different directions and have different goals and ambitions.

Some people back in my hometown continue to act like they’re still in high school. They’re going out partying all night, going in late to work cause they’ve got a hangover, they’re still wearing their hair like they did back in the 80’s and they are trying to live like they’re still 17. They’re not facing the reality that we have gotten older, we should be more responsible than we were when we were that age and it’s way past time to move on. (One thing you could do is get rid of the stupid mullet. I saw several this past week).

Life changes. We get older and don’t look the same as we did when we thought we were in our prime. Shoot, most of our children are grown and out of the house and now we’re in the beginning stages of taking care of our elderly parents – and it’s okay. It’s all part of the growing up process. It’s not the end of the world.

In fact, I would not want to be 17 again. I’ve been there, done that, got the T-shirt and hat – and I have made mistakes along the way of course. But the things I’ve learned, though painful at times, have been stepping stones to where I am today. They have all formed the person that I’ve become. They have molded my opinions and values and why I believe the the things I believe. They’ve also caused me to love passionately and to be forever grateful for what I have experienced, the bitter AND the sweet.

I wouldn’t change any of it and I don’t want to go back. In fact, sometimes I feel as if my life is just beginning.

Here are a couple of pictures of me and my high school class at a few reunions I attended. See if you can find me. CLICK HERE and HERE. (I’ll give you a hint, I was blonde then)

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