I've been out of high school for 10 years. And my life has become infinitely, I mean INFINITELY better since my graduation. I don't know which genius said high school would be the best years of life, but whoever that person is obviously didn't suffer from a lack of self-awareness and esteem. I hated high school, only becoming comfortable with it senior year, when I finally became comfortable with who I really was.
Now, every time I see this one particular friend of mine, she finds a way to make me feel guilty about the life I lead. She says I go to bed too early. I grade too much. I'm too focused on school. I don't want to go dancing or partying or dress up and wear costumes (she and her friends most recently dressed up as the cast of Jersey Shore...just to go out to dinner. Picture eating next to Snooki at Chili's). She concludes that I am lame. She makes it seem like I'm missing out on a part of life, that I'm not living, that I'm already old and dead inside.
I felt this way in high school--when I was studying for tests, having slumber parties and eating milk n' cookies--I felt like I was missing out on the "real life" of partying and drinking and doing the stupid stuff everyone gossiped about the next day. So, I decided I would try that. And realized very quickly that I wasn't missing out on much. I learned that partying was just an attempt to try to have a life, instead of being content with the one you had already.
And now I'm done with high school. The time of doubting myself and who I am is over. This is who I am: I care about my job. I don't want to dress up and wear three bump-its and fake tanner in public and call it a good time. I go to bed early. I don't think I'm missing out on your stupid costume parties, and I certainly don't think there's anything more "real" about that kind of life.
In the end life is just like high school and you helped me prove that ms.haskett
ReplyDeleteIve also noticed that a high school student never becomes comfortable with who they are until senior year. I think that it often has to do with peoples insecurity. They sometimes feel the need to live up to the upper class men/women. But what they don't realize is the reason why they seem so cool is because they have accepted themselves for who they are. Students just need to figure out who they are and accept it and are happy with it, the better their high school experience will be. Unfortunately, they will have to deal with those who tear others down because they don't really know who they are.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought..."Everything we do to fit in was done by someone trying to stand out."
ReplyDeleteLife isn't about what others think of you, or doing as others suggest you should. It's doing what YOU enjoy. I'm following that same path (albeit I have icecream instead of milk and cookies, and my "slumber parties" involve call of duty and bunch of doods). I wouldn't go so far as to say that high school partying and drama and whatnot is just an attempt at making a life. Maybe that is their life. Everyone enjoys things differently; they feed entertainment and life from different areas. Some people are incredibly independent with this and some rely on others. I don't see a problem with either (as long as relying on others doesn't hurt them).