Best Days of My Life

My mom gave me a bag of “goodies” last night.  In it was lots of high school junx (Camp Gray word), every senior edition of the newspaper, posters made by elementary kids for the state volleyball tourney, and a variety of other things.  In one of those newspaper editions is my senior interview and at the end I am quoted as saying, “Study hard and have fun.  High school truly is the best days of your life.”

REALLY?  I said that?  Was I trying to be cool?  Apparently because I HATED HIGH SCHOOL!  And digging through all that stuff brought back memories, some good, most of them uncomfortable and other just plain yucky.  Graduation day in May of 1998 was one of the most freeing moments of my life.  I left thinking I was okay with never seeing any of these people again.  (My opinion has changed slightly over the years.  I do keep in touch with a few of my HS classmates.)

High school was miserable.  Girls in HS are horrid to each other.  If you’re not in the “cool” crowd, you want to be and try to be.  They may let you in for a bit, but only long enough for you to spill some secret that the whole school will know about next week.  Boys are immature and disgusting, yet we swooned over them and fought for the “cute” (on the outside) ones.  We were jealous of those who got to date the cute ones.

And rumors, rumors flew faster and farther than a rocket going to the moon.  Each person adding their creative twist and turn until it was ungodly and then everyone believed it.  You were laughed at and humiliated in the halls. 

Yep, HS stunk.

I was in the not so cool crowd.  Sure I wanted to be in the cool crowd.  I tried too hard at times, and it bit me in the butt.  I did some things that got turned into wildly messy rumors, which I’m quite confident some people still want to believe.  I also created my own drama at times.  Why I thought life should be that difficult I don’t know.

Truth is the real world is not a lot different from HS at times.  Some people are still smiling in front of someone’s face and stabbing them in the back when they walk away.  Thank the Good Lord above I have changed, and I think for the better.  I am myself and I am just going to be me.  If I don’t impress you, so be it.  If you don’t want to be a true friend, I’m fine with that too.

You see HS was definitely NOT the best days of my life.  Not even close.  The best days were when I was in college, when I attended Quest retreats, when I moved back and got my first job, when I met my hubby, when I got married, when my kiddos were born, when I went to church last week...

The best days are always happening because I have decided to live my life my way.  I have decided to let those in who are sincere (it takes awhile though, ask my friend Alyssa and my husband Troy), those who except me for who I am and are fine with who I was. 

The best days will continue to happen because I have decided to make it as such.  I refuse to let the bad, hate, and jealousy in and control me.  I’m seeing the glass half full and continue to pray for blessings in my life.

Go make today the best day of your life!