We all look back on the span of our lives and think about what we could have done differently. But when it comes to school, and the time we all spent together, the good and the bad blend together, and it becomes mostly good. Because we were new, we were learning, and we remember. Some say timing is everything, and so is perception. What we didn’t know at 18 is the grass is most definitely not always greener on the other side.
Those of
us who couldn’t wait to move far away from our home town may now be a bit in
awe of those who never left. And those that stayed may think it sounds awfully exciting to have left. My guess
is there’s envy on both sides now. And, perhaps, regret.
Alas, it
is not to be. You are alone. The room quiets, all eyes cast your way. You
stand, mop your forehead. Or worse, you try to extemporize, relying on an
already fading memory. You cough, clear your throat, unclamp your suddenly
uncooperative mouth.
It’s an
odd place to be, but the dose of reality seems right.