This Friday is my 10 year high school reunion. I'll spare you the "I can't believe it's really been 10 years speech" but believe me, I'm thinking it.
I have had two reunions before this, my five year high school reunion and my 5 year college reunion, which was about a year and a half ago. Both I thought were going to be terrible for various reasons. Both were actually a lot of fun. So, I have low expectations for this one, with the understanding that it will probably (hopefully) exceed them.
In no particular order, here are a bunch of things I thought in high school, that turned out to be wrong :)
1. It mattered a lot what I wrote under my picture in the yearbook It doesn't. t actually forgot what it said until my friend texted it to me yesterday. I now don't know what half of it means. But I know it was important to me at the time, and the people I referenced were important as well. I had a fear that if I wasn't friends with someone anymore I'd regret referencing them in my quote. Apparently I thought I was the type to have blow out fights with people. I'm not.
2. It's going to be super hard to stay friends with my high school friends. In fact, it's been quite easy with most people. Sure we don't see and talk even close to as much as we did in high school, but I still consider many of those people my friends. I listed 10 people, and of them 7 were at my wedding. Two of the three who were not I've talked to in one way or the other in the last 6 months. I still have a special place in my heart for all 10 of them.
3. College will be the best 4 years of my life. Don't get me wrong, college was fun, however, like any time period in life there were many wonderful things about it and a few struggles as well.
4. Time with family is not important. I've mentioned before that friends have always been a very important part of my life. In high school and the early years of college, I sacrificed a lot of time with my family to hang out with my friends (like many kids at this age do). I now value time with my family over pretty much everything.
5. I knew everything. When you are 18, everyone wants to tell you that you don't know anything. I knew that was wrong, so I thought instead I knew everything. It turns out, they were wrong and I was wrong. There was a lot of great stuff I did know at 18. There was even some stuff I knew at 18, temporarily forgot, and had to learn again. I think I was a great friend-picker when I was 18 and I think I was a good friend to others during my high school years. But, of course I did not know everything and now I have learned- I still don't. Does anyone?
What did you think in high school that turned out to be wrong?
I know I knew everything.
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Ha, I was wrong about a lot of things that I thought was right about in high school. In high school I told my mom repeatedly that I'd trade in my music abilities in exchange for being athletic. Well, now I am glad I can sing/play the piano, and I've become an athlete in my own way through running! I also thought I knew everything. I also thought I'd make 6 figures when I graduated from college (ha! I wish I had been right about that).
ReplyDeleteI thought I wouldn't be living within 20 minutes of my homeown ever. I so wish I had been right.
ReplyDeleteThat's a tough one. I would say that most of all I thought that certain people that were present in my life then would always be there.
ReplyDeleteI graduated in the sumer of 1999 - that's over 12 years ago. People have left my life and entered it . . . I think what I have come to realize that people are in your life for the right season and the right time.
I have definitely found it difficult to stay in touch with my high school friends. We've just...grown our separate ways. However, the great thing is that when we DO get together, it's the same as always!! I love that so much.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit, my college years were much better than high school for me. I miss college more than any time of my life!
Oh I love this post! I think my list would be really long, you are much more wise than me : ) Definitely the big one would be that everything is NOT as big of a deal as you think it is. However, I still need reminding of this from time to time hehe.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I was really confused what "reunion" you were attending on Friday - sorry I forgot to respond to your email. I will respond now - yes you can borrow my dress, I didn't realize it was dry clean only - that is annoying!
I DEFINITELY thought I knew everything!
ReplyDeleteI've actually stayed closer friends with friends that were just *kind of* friends in high school than my best friends. My two best high school friends weren't at my wedding but two girls I just became friends with close to the end of grade 12 were! Just because we have more similar lives now so became closer. And I agree with Caroline above, everything is NOT as huge of a deal as you think, however I can definitely appreciate being 16 and feeling like the world is going to end.
Unlike you I believed my high school friends would last forever, which may have been the case had my parents not divorced and made me move 800 miles away.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was going to get out of my suburb and suddenly life was going to be exciting forever. I thought I would never have one of those monotonous "what should we do?" conversations again. I was wrong. Even in New York City, even in the Middle East, I've had exactly that conversation while sitting around with friends who are up for doing something, if only we could come up with that one perfect thing to do...
ReplyDeleteI also agree with #4. I don't yet feel that time with family is super important, but I wish I did and I think that if I'd spent more time with family during high school, I could place more value on it now.