Change

It amazes me how much people change in a fairly short period of time. Just a little while ago, just for the heck of it, I was creeping around facebook, looking at pictures of people I didn’t go a day without seeing back in high school; people who were my best friends. Not trying to brag here, but there are quite a few of them. Now, I hardly keep in touch with any of them. Almost none of them, in fact. It kinda got me wondering about a few things:

What happened? (Who knows?)

When did we lose touch? (ditto)

Why did we lose touch? (…)

Was it because of college? (… quite possibly, at least indirectly)

Have they changed? (Some of them, yes; some habits, yes; others not.)

Have I changed? (Yes.)

Do I know anything about them anymore? (Not really, not anything important)

Do they know anything about me? (Probably not.)

Do they still think about high school sometimes? (I hope so.)

Would I ever want to go back to high school? (Goodness gracious no, but I’m glad for all the experiences, good and bad.)

Do they think they still know me? (I bet a lot of them think I haven’t changed.)

What would it be like, to get all of us together again? (A bit of a terrifying thought.)

Do I even want that to happen? (Good question.)

It’s strange to think about. “Nostalgia” is probably not the right word for what I’m feeling/thinking right now, but something similar, without the wistfulness bit. It’s been less than three years since I graduated high school, and yet I feel like I’m not the same person at all. I mean, heck, I’m not even the same person I was one year ago, that’s for sure. Some people *ahem-some-of-you-know-who-I’m-talking-about-here-ahem* seem to be upset by the fact that I’ve changed; others not.

The girls especially, I see pictures of what these people have become, and I honestly thank God that I did not turn out that way. Lots of these people are exactly the same, in their own way. Maybe that doesn’t make sense to you, but think about it for a second. I can elaborate sometime, if you want. Comment. Let me know.

Time passes so quickly. Exactly one year ago tomorrow I was getting on a plane to go to Japan. I’ve already been there, had the time of my life, met some unforgettable people, some of the best and most influential, thought-provoking people I’ve met in my life, and come back completely changed. My plans for the future changed completely. I thought I knew what I wanted, but due to quite a few circumstances (including, but not exclusively Japan) I’m not so sure anymore. I do know that it’s got pretty much nothing to do with anything I thought in high school, or even the beginning of university.

Interesting stuff. Weird, fascinating, strange stuff. Too bad I don't get to speculate more tonight though. Classes start, for me, at 8am tomorrow morning, only this year they’re in Wisconsin, not Hirakata. Boring. Well who knows, maybe there’s something exciting in store for me this semester that I don’t know anything about yet. I can hope.