Well hello, awesome readers.
Have you ever been to a reunion? How about a 35 – that’s THIRTY-FIVE – year reunion?
Last night I had dinner with some girls, now women, I went to high school with. It was their 35th high school graduation reunion. I didn’t graduate with them so you can imagine how honored I felt that they would include me.
Even though it still feels like yesterday that youth and naiveté were written across our tender faces, it’s hard to believe that so many years have slipped in between now and then.
As we sat in a restaurant, chattering away about old times and remembering friends that either couldn’t make it or that we’ve lost touch with over the years, there was a point when I couldn’t help but remove myself from the conversations and just look down the long table at everyone.
Lost somewhere between past and present, I was mesmerized by the familiar faces of the once-15ish year old girls I once knew. Every single one of them stunning with life-paths and stories of their own.
If you could go back 35 years, what would you tell younger you? I asked.
The responses I got varied from …
“Go ahead. Be more adventurous. Try. It. ALL.”
To …
“Stop worrying. Everything will be okay.”
To …
“Of course, they like you.”
To …
“Just be yourself!”
To …
“I would give myself a good kick in the ass and say SMARTEN UP!”
I realized then that confidence hides behind many masks and that even the popular girls were insecure about who they were.
Meanwhile, you’re probably wondering what the featured picture is. It’s from my latest column over at Westmount Magazine: Insights from the hood (PARENThood, that is) and it’s called “In Retrospect”.
The fact that the editors published this piece during the same weekend that I get the opportunity to see women I went to high school with is a little freaky.
In retrospect …
Here’s the link:
Insights from the hood (PARENThood, that is): In retrospect
But before you go, I’d like to ask you the same question I asked my friends last night:
If you could go back and have a conversation with 15-year old you, what would you tell you?
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“No worries about missing the chance to see Washington, D.C., on the class trip. Much sooner than you wanted, after fast-forwarding you through high school, your parents will PUSH you there. They do want you to get married, eventually, just not to a hometown boy, and you will eventually find a nice retired diplomat with whom you can Settle Down. If you do, expect widowhood to arrive a lot sooner and more abruptly than you expected, and try to get some solid income lined up faster than the first time around.”
You’re going to make mistakes, and that’s okay. Not everyone will think you’re great, but they don’t need to. Sometimes, you just won’t get what you want; move on. Happiness is not that elusive if you stop trying to quantify and qualify it. Love yourself, because you’re f*cken awesome!