Recently I've been cleaning out my room again as I prepare to move back into my dorm for my second year of college. One thing I found was all of my yearbooks, and man what a wild ride I had when I procrastinated cleaning to look back through those years of my life. Here are 18 thoughts I had while looking back at what is considered by many to be "the golden year of high school".
1. We are babies
Everyone thinks they're all high and mighty senior year, all grown up and capable of being a "grown up". Looking back, every single person in those pictures is a child. A barely formed, just growing up child. Weird to think about that now.
2. Popularity is nothing
Some of those people I remember being so popular are certainly not doing the greatest nowadays, lets just say that what makes you "popular" in high school means absolutely nothing in the real world. It's almost kind of funny to see where those people are two years later.
3. I wonder where they are?
It's crazy how fast people fall off the grid. There are people I kept up with who I haven't the slightest idea where they are in life now. I hope they are well.
4. I can't believe...
I'm not one to get crushes very easily, but let me just say that there are a few guys that, looking back, I can NOT believe I ever had a thing for. Two years later, those guys are certainly not what I would consider attractive now, and I think that is probably a really good character development for myself.
5. Aww!
Seeing all the underclassmen I cared about and had friendships with just makes me the slightest bit nostalgic, If you are one of those people, just know I still think you're awesome and I hope you know you are awesome, too.
6. Dang, I'm funny
Let's just say my senior quote is one thing in High school is something I won't forget.
7. Senior Best's are dumb
All those senior superlatives are kind of dumb, they're superficial and shallow and looking back, I can't believe some of those categories are things we voted our classmates "the best" at. Like who decided the guy with the long hair should beat the bald kid at "best hair"? Ridiculous!
8. The Friendships
There are so many pictures of those High school best friend groups... who aren't friends anymore. Big Oof!
9. The relationships
Same thing with the friendships, those quintessential football player and cheerleader couples are no longer. I've said it before and I'll say it again, relationships in high school are overrated and overdone. They just don't last unless you're in a movie or a really really lucky person.
10. My face
As someone who was never truly "popular" I was shocked to see just how many times my face popped up in this book of popular faces, how weird!
11. The mistakes
Every yearbook committee needs a better editor, and My senior yearbook is no different.
12. The Traditions
There are so many obscure things I totally forgot our high school did, like at sporting events the student section would throw around this giant barrel painted in school colors that said "whoop ass" on it. Why did we do that? Who decided that was going to be a thing? Why, several years later, is it still a tradition? The world may never know.
13. The fashion
I'm not embarrassed by it now, but I'm sure one day my children will look at the clothes of the era and laugh their heads off.
14. Who is that?
There are a few pictures of kids I have no recollection of, my school wasn't especially large, but it wasn't small either. At about 200 students a class, you'd think you'd at least recognize everyone but I can't seem to place so many of these faces.
15. The Culture
High School culture is just so foreign once you leave high school. The way the social aspects work or the rigor of the schedule, the home life you go through and the clubs and the sports, no other thing in life works the way high school does and looking back, it's super odd.
16. The Spirit
Those days where everyone wore pajamas to school because it was "spirit week", honey in college that's called everyday.
17. The dance pictures
The photos from the school dances are WILD! Like who decided that putting pictures of kids grinding in the school yearbook was a good idea?
18. The nostalgia
I have none. So far in life, those four years have really not been years I have looked back on much. Maybe that's because my best is yet to come, maybe that's because I really just don't get the high school nostalgia stuff in general. Whatever the reason is, High school is just four years of your life at the end of the day. That's all.
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