Me, 25 Years Ago

Twenty-five years ago this month I graduated from high school.  It seems so long ago and it was: college, 2 jobs I've worked 10+ years each, wife, 3 kids, ups, downs, and all arounds.

It is trendy to think about what would I tell the 18-year-old version of myself if I could go back in time.  But I have no regrets about my high school days.  I had good friends, I went to a good school, I hit the books hard, but I also had a good time.  I stayed out of the kind of trouble I wanted to stay out of, and may or may not have gotten into the kind of trouble I did want to get into but no one has any evidence.  In short, I'm not sure I would've changed anything about my high school experience, with the lone albeit glaring exception that I wouldn't have sweated as much about whether or not I looked dorky in glasses.  (Obvi I did, and I should've just realized that I did but that that didn't really matter.)

And that, in a nutshell, is what makes me thankful for the life I've lived.  I realize that others didn't have nearly as good of a high school experience, and that that bad taste has lingered for a long time.  As for me, my high school teachers set me up to go to a good school and gave me both content and an ability to and love for content absorption.  And, I am still in touch with many of my closest friends and consider them among my closest friends to this day.  Indeed, others I wasn't as close with in high school I have drawn closer to since then, thanks to the wonders of Facebook and the bonding experience of being a parent or running a business or just going through the vagaries of life.

In sum, I am feeling full and happy with this chance to reflect on 25 years.  I regret not being able to see my classmates more often and more easily.  But I don't wish to go back in time to change anything.