Isn’t it amazing how time changes everything? When I hear about kids who are bullied or consider suicide because they don’t fit in I think about my High School reunion and wish they could see how little it all matters. I tried to be "popular" in High School. For some reason it mattered to me. I am not sure exactly why, but it did. I had a great group of friends and many of us still keep in touch and now, looking back, I am glad we were who we were.
A bunch of years ago I went to my tenth High School reunion. I was surprised by two things. One, the then "popular" kids were no longer that interesting and many of them had trouble moving beyond their peak – the glory days of High School. And two, the kids I never paid much attention to were now the most interesting and successful adults. I spent the bulk of my time at the reunion chatting with people who had spent five years on the periphery of my life yet we had not bothered to get to know each other.
I was amazed at how wrong I was about some people. In High School, I was totally intimidated by one smart and attractive male classmate. I don’t know that I actually ever spoke more than a few words to him one-on-one but I defintely thought I had him figured out. I have a feeling I was wrong. At the reunion we spoke and I learned that he is a family physician living in a small town with a wife and looking forward to starting a family. He was gracious and kind and even tolerated the stories and pictures of my kids.
It just all seems so insignificant now. I wish I could show these kids that it really doesn’t matter in the long run and that they too will have their time. I enjoyed High School but am glad that I don’t look back longingly and think that the best days of my life have already happened. I wish I had spent more time being who I really was instead of trying so hard to fit in.
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Jen