Back to School

This year is a milestone in my life.  One that I feel has crept up on me leaving me suddenly feeling very old.  This year, it is officially 20 years since I graduated high school.  That went by so fast! 

I feel very thankful to be able to say that I had a great time in high school.  My teen years had their share of drama, but not in the traumatic kind of way, more in the “geez-this-is-going-to-make-for-a-good-story-one-day” kind of drama.  In large part, I have some amazing friends to thank for this.  When I look back to photos of my Year 12 formal, I can’t help but smile.  Partly because of the somewhat dated outfits that we all felt so cool in, but mainly because of the faces in the photos smiling back at me.  

Tammy and I were pretty much set up as friends by our mums.  I think they decided we would be great friends before we ever knew it.  It turns out they weren’t wrong.  Tammy was quiet to those who didn’t know her well, but had such a fun crazy side for those lucky enough to call her their friend.  We shared a love of Leonardo DiCaprio and watched Titanic at the movies over and over.  We babysat together….a lot!  Tammy was such a loyal friend and I loved knowing that if we ever needed one another, she would be there.

Meagan was both feisty and tough, yet warm and kind.  I remember seeing how much she loved her mum truly believed they would be best friends for life - I hope that has turned out to be true.  You know the saying “good things come in small packages”?  That saying encompasses Meagan all over.  How such a big heart fit in such a small body is an anomaly.

Any class I had with Alan I knew would be fun.  There was a good chance I would get in trouble for laughing, but it was worth it.  It was almost worth crossing Alan just to hear the hilariously creative insults he would dish out.  He had such a quick mind and I still cannot look at avocado dip without thinking of our Spanish teacher and laughing. 

Emma moved to our school from Canberra with her family.  She was outgoing and confident in a way that I found both admirable and intimidating.  She was quite independent at a young age and when her family was moving back to Canberra, she moved in with us and we shared a bedroom.    I realise now that having a friend live with you could destroy a lot of friendships, but I’m grateful that wasn’t the case with Emma.  She didn’t have a mean bone in her body.  

Ebony was a friendship that came a little out of the blue in the beginning.  I was talking to Tony yesterday about Ebony.  I was telling him how I remember talking with a group of friends and I made a Seinfeld reference and she was the only other person there who got it.  That alone made me like her immediately.  Ebony is the kind of person who doesn’t need any attention on her, yet she shines.  She is one of the most even tempered people I have ever known.  She is genuine and purposeful in all she does.

Sarah and I are cousins.  We loved states apart from one of another all our lives until she moved to Adelaide at 16 and came to the same high school as me.  We quickly became partners in crime and probably have way too much dirt on one another, but any mischief we got up to was worth it.  From sneaking out at night and having to sleep in the car so we could still get to school on time in the morning, to dancing in car parks and watching and laughing as she vomited in random gardens…what we lacked in class we made up for in fun.  

I don’t get to see or talk to any of these people as much as I would like.  Life gets busy and everyone takes different paths, but 20 years on I have nothing but fond memories of my time in high school and to the people who made it so amazing, I thank you.