Reconnecting

I recently received an e-mail from a former school mate announcing a new website for my High School class. The website is a terrific walk down memory lane. Our senior portraits appear next to the names on each page - a few have more recent photos and written details posted what people have been up to since graduation. It was like stepping back in time, slowly reacquainting myself with once familiar names and faces.

What surprised me was the myriad of feelings confronting me, when I was faced with deciding what information I was willing to share on the website. I played it safe and sent my phone number and email address.

High school was a time I suffered through. I struggled with wanting to be popular and fit in, while not wanting to be another mindless copy, defined by the popular hair styles and dress codes. I longed for something different - exotic - unique. I believe those thoughts are what drove me to attend a college out of state. I wanted to move on and leave the homogeneous, predictable life I'd known behind me.

After graduation, I counted the minutes until I left for college. I planned a fresh start where I could become anyone I wanted. When I returned home the summer of my freshman year, my college experience had already changed me. I had forged new bonds with new friends and no longer fit back into the lives of the friends I'd left behind. I couldn't wait to return to my life at college, where I truly belonged.

Many years and many experiences later, I am now living thousands of miles from my childhood home. My life has taken some pretty amazing twists and turns - with quite a few life lessons thrown in along the way.

After graduating from college, I thought about adventures. I considered joining the peace core - but talked myself out of it, because I couldn't see working in an under-developed nation without a daily shower and creature comforts I took for granted. I toyed with the idea of graduate school, but convinced myself that I didn't have the smarts or the dedication, not to mention a clear vision on a course of study. I had fallen in love for the first time during college, where I also learned to put another person's needs and wants before my own - a recurring theme that has plagued most of my adult life.

While I've always been drawn to the foreign, different, exotic - I've never really stepped out of my own comfort zone. I've been more of an observer in life and less of a participant. It's not easy learning to take risks, but I'm still a work in progress. I'm still learning about me. Every new day is a door to future possibilities.

I hope to travel abroad, see more of the world and experience people and places first hand - not just through travel documentaries or images provided by friends from other countries and cultures. I still toy with the idea of graduate school - after all, you're never too old to learn. More importantly, I am learning to push myself from my comfort zones and learning to take steps towards making any dreams I have become reality...

I've already been in contact with a few friends from High School and I'll admit it's rather exciting to reconnect. I realize that we all share a common bond that never truly leaves you - no matter where you've been since then. Life is an amazing journey. You just never know where it might take you next...