Take Me Back: High School

I bet few people, if anyone at all, would say..."Take me back to high school." To be honest, I know that I am happy to be past those four years of my life. Nevertheless, in some ways I have been able to truly appreciate my experience at an all-girls parochial school even more so recently.

My life is a-changing, and I have taken this extra free time to really look at my friendships and myself. I am especially thankful for those four years filled with plenty of mistakes, memories, and lifelong friends. Since then, I have been able to sustain relationships with women that are dynamic, intelligent, inspiring, and beautiful (inside and out). All have enriched my faith in different ways, and have kept me motivated to pursue my dreams of service, even when they have lived states away.

High school was by no means a fairy tale, but I knew upon graduation that we would never have that much quality, "together" time. We all spread out to different colleges, but as silly as it sounds, I took them all with me. Each of them helped to develop me into someone with defined values and a clear sense of self. Naturally we all made new friends that helped us through the daily grind of university life, but we still held on to each other, knowing that our bonds were irreplaceable.

One of my teachers in high school said to us that in many ways the four years in plaid skirts would be some of our best. She supported her claim by saying that we could enjoy a bit of freedom with few (or any) responsibilities. As a recent college graduate I definitely understand what it is like to have commitments (financial and personal), and so those years where the biggest stress was finding the next formal dress seems so wonderful. Moreover, I know that I am looking back with rose-colored glasses.

In the past few months I have had to accept that many of my friends will likely never live in the (oven-in-the-summer) AZ again. I cannot say that I like this realization, but it's another part of us all following our passions and growing as women. When I think of all the incredible things (moving to new places, starting jobs at big corporations, becoming doctors, etc.), I know that we are all where we are meant to be.

Even still, today is one of those days when I miss every one of them. Take me back to high school, but really, just take me back to the daily dates with some of the most wonderful women in the world. (An upcoming reunion in some interesting and action-packed city would definitely suffice.)