This past weekend I had the pleasure of seeing some old high school friends, some of which I haven't seen in what felt like ages. I was so excited to see them, to catch up on each others' lives, to hear their successes and to bond in our struggles ... but I also found that I was a tad bit sentimental.
You see, people like to joke about how high school sucks, and how in college you have more freedom and you get to really be an adult. We all wanted to grow up so fast, and I'm not saying that there is not beauty in the college years either, because there is (a time to really sink or swim for people, to grow up, to mature, and to learn about yourself -- are you really ready for the future or not?). But I also came to notice was the beauty of high school, as well.
Although I am proud of the obstacles I have overcome since high school, proud in the ways in which I have matured, I can't help but be a little jealous of the simpler times.
I sit here writing this article and beside me sits a list. A list in which I cannot live without these days. Everyday, I have a multitude of different clubs, meetings, homework assignments and things I need to get done, all of which consume every single day of mine now. If I am not on the go, I am in the library studying. I sometimes think about the high school days. To think about what it was like when the weekly list was just a few couple assignments, and to when a test wasn't over like five chapters of material. A time when you really got to know the people you were with, because you saw each other everyday and had watched each other begin to grow up. A time in which you could balance fun and school, and you could actually do them both successfully, without much effort to really buckle down.
It's funny to me how I wanted to grow up so quickly. Although I enjoyed this simple life, I occasionally wish for it again for just a couple days. I've learned to be more accepting of the phases in life, and how important they are in shaping the future ones.
College is a time for people to really find themselves. Some people may change on you, some people may stumble and others may really find their groove. But, I think it's really cool that we all shared a great phase of life together. I'll always remember the low-key nights spent with friends around a fire, or the late night car rides and being young and wild. For the people that say high school sucks, yeah, there were some times when it really didn't go too right for me either, but they are also ignoring the beauty in simpler times and little stress ... all of which sounds pretty darn good to me occasionally.
So as I've said, there was beauty in this weekend. There was beauty in seeing everyone find their own path, grow up, mature and to have an understanding that for one weekend it was just like the good ole days ... the simple days ... the days that we all need sometimes to make us feel young again.