We have all heard the expression “high school never ends”, and with the introduction of social media into the world and the accessibility we all have to it has made this statement more true then ever before.

I, Adam, am approaching the date for my ten year high school reunion and I have realized that there is a part of me that doesn’t care about a single thing that people I graduated with are doing now. (Mostly because half my class has been divorced, has multiple kids, or is unemployed)  But there is also another part of me that wants to go, for a few reasons.  The first being that there are actually a handful of people who I suppose I am still “friends” with.  I mean, in high school we were tight as hell, lots of sleep overs, paintball ventures, and just generally hanging out all the time, but then as we graduated we just sort of drifted apart and it would be cool to see those few select humans and catch up.

But then there is reason two I want to attend, and I feel like it is a reason we all think of, but very rarely speak aloud about.  I am not saying my life is on the fast track to millionaire status and success, but I am doing alright.  I see that there are quite a lot of people I graduated with that back when I was still attending, they were the “cool kids” and life for them, at least from my perspective, was going great.  Now I look at them through the magic of social media and see that they are miserable and just floating through life with no drive or expectation to better their future.  It seems like the old cliche where they peaked in high school and just thought they could ride that wave for the rest of their life, forgetting that it will inevitably hit shore and end.  So the part of me that wants to go, the part I suggested we all feel but rarely speak of, is that I want to go and just see for myself, in person, all the “cool kids” doing worse than I am.  And I know that sounds like a sh***y thing to say, but hear me out!  Because I constantly over-evaluate my life and am extremely self critical.  I constantly see myself doing poorly in life, even when things go well.  Example, when I landed this job here at WPOR, I was beside myself with joy, but then I begin to question how well I can actually do, blah blah blah right?  All the self doubt and worry kicks in not because I don’t think I can do it, but rather just as a way for me to analyze myself because I suppose I feel that if I see myself doing well, what is there to critique?  So because I push myself so hard and beat myself up so much and at one point in my younger past saw these people as winners and future leaders of the world, it will sort of help put myself into perspective and appreciate the things I have and am currently accomplishing in my professional and social life.  Am I alone in this thought? As you read this, are you looking back at your high school career remembering those people who were so much cooler and it baffled you that one person was that awesome, only to see them ten years later and laugh inside?  I also feel like I will look back at myself in high school and wonder why the hell I cared so much, why did I see this 15 year old kid as some sort of social demigod just because they were popular?  I suppose it is something we all go through, being young and dumb, and really what else do we have at that age other than our status among our classmates?  Now that we have real life experience it is easy to look back in hindsight because I am no longer in need of social acceptance and approval by these kids I envied.

I feel like this reunion will be an eye opener and a life experience that will be able to use in my life now.  I teach Martial Arts to children and adults, and in the hypersensitive world of today where kids are being brought up to be weak and taught that words are the most hurtful thing ever, I can look back on my time in high school and realize that all the name calling and times that I was picked on, we literally ALL go through it, even those “cool kids” had insecurities and were made fun of, and that is a great thing!  It allows me to grow a thicker skin, to be able to handle negative words, thoughts, and emotions directed at me, which with the instant access social media provides and the ability to anonymously hide behind a screen name, people can be brutal online.  So sometimes being picked on or made fun of isn’t always the worst thing in the world because there will be a time (like the day after you graduate) where all that s*** in high school that seemed like the end of the Earth as you knew it, isn’t worth anything as an adult.

– Adam Rondeau (Facebook)