High Times

Does the title of this post have anything to do with the fact that I've spent the weekend basking in the sun and eating excessive quantities of seasonal fruit? (What type of person would I be to waste your precious brain-space with such an entry?). In short - no.

This morning, while on a hill-walk with my mom, we got on the subject of kids who'd peaked in high school. (High Times --High school....see what I'm getting at?)

Back in high school, I wasn't particularly happy ("but you were winter formal queen and captain of the song squad," mother chimed in. Yeah, I remember). I wasn't bullied or subject to any traumatic experiences, but I wasn't satisfied either. I knew some kids that loved high school. They were born for the sole purpose of going to high school and being awesome.

At the time, I was envious of these kids. That ended on graduation day, along with their awesomeness. Now they are looking back on their heyday with sadness, knowing that they peaked too soon.

"See, time puts everything into perspective," mother chimed in.

I agree. However, when you are in the midst of a shitty situation, you can't raise your hand and say, "excuse me 12th grade english teacher. Things aren't going well for me right now, so I'm going to retreat into an obscure cave and return in five years with a fresh perspective."

On a grand scale I think I'm lucky. High school wasn't great. College was better, but still had some rough spots. My life has gotten steadily more satisfying over the years (save for some minor fluctuations), which is preferable to a sharp peak in my high school years, followed by spending the remainder of my life coping with the shock of nobody knowing or caring that I was hot shit at age 17. (*I was going to put a graph here, but technical difficulties said otherwise*).

Being too satisfied with life(whether by popularity, wealth, looks, etc.) too young is comparable to growing up too wealthy as a kid. The higher up the ladder you start, the harder it is to move up, and the less you'll appreciate it when you do.

So appreciate your humble beginnings. Happy 4th.