JUST LIKE OLD TIMES

The beautiful and wonderous thing about getting older is that all the trivial bullshit that kept you from enjoying yourself as an awkward, self-conscious high school teenager doesn't seem to matter at all.

For most of us, high school was not at all like High School The Musical, or Rock & Roll High School, or even High School the Musical II. No, for most of us it was an arduous test of your fortitude to force yourself out of bed every morning all chock full o'terrible bitchy moodiness and general unpleasantness to go sit quietly learning about things that don't interest you in the least when you'd much rather be shooting zombies in a video game, watching a zombie movie, or drawing pictures of zombies.

I didn't have any particular issues in high school (other than being a mostly terrible person for adults to be around at all times.) Honestly, it went about as well as it could have. But I would never do it again. In fact, I might rather serve out a four year prison sentence, trading smokes for favors and minding what's near my hinder than go back to Algebra or gym class. Gym class can bite every last inch of my ass.

But I met good people, and with high school politics and bull shit, probably could've met more if I'd let it happen. Regardless, I've been away for ten years now, and have done a piss poor job of keeping in touch with people. So you can imagine my inherent trepidation when my best friend since the age of seven invited me out to his bachelor party.

Admittedly, neither one of us has kept in touch with many people from the "old days," but I knew through the bachelor party and the wedding two weeks later, I'd be laying eyes on a lot of people I haven't laid 'em on in a good decade or so.

Which brings me back to my original point. I go and have a great time because within five minutes, we're all caught up. All the "my life is like this now" fluff is flowing squarely under the bridge, and we're free to talk about movies, swap stories, and drink beer.

Because the funny thing about catching up with people you haven't seen since high school-- nobody really cares. When it gets down to it, your business is your business, you've made a few decisions, been to a few places, and so long as you're keeping things together, all is well. None of it is terribly impressive to anyone unless you're an astronaut or the president or cured AIDS or something.

Life is life- your life is your life, mine is mine, and their life is theirs, and everybody's still waking up every day to shit, shower, shave, and go to work, whatever that might be.

It's good to know it's that easy to knock back a few with friends you haven't seen in ten years. After five minutes it's like you never left.