Well, today was my last official day of high school. Wednesday I go back for a morning exam, Thursday is graduation practice and then next Tuesday is graduation.

I thought I'd be incredibly happy, but it was pretty rough knowing there are so many people I'll never see again. To compact the problems -- long story short -- I didn't have my yearbook for the last four days and wasn't able to get all my signatures.

Anyway, for the next week or so I may be out-'n-about and tying up some loose ends, so sorry if I'm not as quick to respond as usual.

 

I know your going to find this hard to believe but in 10 years your going to wish you were back there! And your even going to miss the people you don't like!

 

Hard to believe? Heck no! I wish there was a bit more school left -- not very good closure. And, the ones I didn't like just added a bit of character to my experience.

 

I think back to when I graduated and thought I am so out of here! But now I think it could go back there would so many things I would do differently..

 

Jason, some words of advice from a salty old 41 (almost 42) year old: You really will never see many of those folks again - even some of the ones you considered fairly close friends will fade away. Put in the extra effort to make new friends at college, and cherish the good times you had with your CLOSEST high school friends, because at least SOME of them will stay in touch with you always. Look forward to better and bigger things and remember that there are class reunions coming down the pike where you can re-live some of the goofy fun you all shared in high school. Good Luck in your new phase of life.....
Larry S.S.
Coleman High School, Coleman TX, Class of 1981.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I know it's the case. For me, it's kind of like a "here we go again." In July 2004 and January 2005 I went to two political conferences in DC and NY. I made amazing friends who lived across the country and globe. As hard as we tried to stay in touch, we all became busy and [unfortunately] they always became disinterested first. So, "here we go again." At least this time I know what to expect.

 

Unlike some others, college was an even better experience than high school for me. I divorced myself from high school as soon as it was over with and I have moved forward very smoothly and successfully. I'm now meeting up with some of the folks I went to high school with because we are trying to plan our 10 year reunion. And what I remember about these people seems to have stuck. It was also one of the reasons that I was glad to get out of high school and move on to bigger and better things.

You will make friends in college, arguably better ones than in high school. Those college friends do not fade away all that easily. I'm still in contact with many college friends in which our friendship just clicked.

This isn't to say that I don't have friends from my high school years that I have kept in contact with, but they are fewer in number, significantly, than the number of folks I am in contact with from college.

I hope we can pull off this reunion, and I'm sure we will do something, but this is going to be a difficult few weeks.

Don't worry about the folks you are "leaving behind" in high school. Those that were truly your friends will stay in touch with you.

 

What cha gonna do over at Rice?

 

I'm going into political science mainly, but I wouldn't rule out a double or triple major in perhaps policy studies and/or international relations (Rice doesn't have that major, so perhaps I can create it).

 

Jason-
I graduated in 1979 from a Catholic Accademy in Minneapolis.
I moved to the South around 1983 and lost contact with all but my single most close friend, who only contacted me last year.

Sometimes I do wonder what happened to all of them but really just a curiosity.
I'm sure NONE of them would recognize me in passing.

No, I really don't miss them because life is continuously changing but I do cherish the memories of my time back then.

My advice would be to take lots of photos and possibly videos of your time together then hang on to it for the rest of your life.
Many if not most of your good (and bad) memories will fade over time, and this is where the photos will become important.

I wish I had done that.