Church was pretty good today, but I had to leave as soon as service was over. I made a mini-road trip up to Stillwater because a girl I went to junior high and high school with was giving a recital. She and I always got along really went and ended up in all-state together. People used to say we looked alike, especially when we both had braces ;) Anyways, I've only seen her a handful of times since I graduated in 2004 and I really wanted to be there for her senior recital. So I get there, have some Sonic for lunch, then run to buy some flowers for her. I go and she did a fantastic job! I'm so very proud of her :D Then I stuck around to give her the flowers and take a chocolate-covered strawberry. Well, turns out my high school choir director had also attended so I went up to say hello. We ended up talking for about an hour and then we went our separate ways, mostly because we both live about an hour away from Stillwater.
Can I just say that talking to him really brightened my day and made my heart smile? Too late, I already did :) I have always gotten along better with older people than anyone my own age. It was never a surprise to me when I would connect to my teachers, advisors, professors, etc. When I talk to some of my peers from high school, I feel like I'm being sized up. As if they are comparing me to them and deciding if I've lived an acceptable life since we last saw each other, according to their personal standards. To be fair, not everyone does this, but enough do that I feel weird running into people from high school. Anyways, it was so refreshing to have someone who I considered a wonderful individual to be genuinely interested in what I've done, what I'm doing and what I'm hoping to do in the future. It wasn't just, "well I know so and so has done this, this and this, so what have you done?". It made me feel like I mattered to someone and that I'm still worth the effort to talk to and catch up with. Somedays, especially after leaving TU, I've really wondered if it was all worth it. If going to TU, leaving, continuing with my education, etc. was worth it if no one felt that I was worthy to keep in touch with. I mean, why spend so much time and energy on relationships when no one really cares once you're gone? I felt relieved this winter when I ran into my old TU advisor, Susan, and this meeting this afternoon made me feel even better. I feel like I'm memerable again and that makes me feel so good deep down. It's helped a hurt I've almost forgotten that I have.
I'm sure the girl who gave the recital could have done the same thing, but she was understandably busy enjoying the praise of her audience, which she very much deserved :) Like I said earlier, this was a wonderful day and definitely worth the trip!
I hope y'all had a great Sunday.
Peace to you,
"How Can I Keep From Singing" by Chris Tomlin
I totally know what you mean about connecting with older people, and also about that sense of being sized up. So many people I know from high school are now working on Wall Street (or, well, they were, heh), or in med school, or working in venture capitalism, etc etc etc. It's always nice to see mentors who cheer you on and are delighted to hear about you rather than feeling like they have to outdo you.
ReplyDelete... Which reminds me, I need to email an old mentor right now! :)
Glad you got to see some lovely people from your past!