17 Again

Spending a weekend with my best friend (my sister) always puts me in a reflective, contemplative mood. I love spending time with her because we can (and do) talk and talk and talk about any and everything. This past weekend, one of the things we discussed was our crazy busy adult lives, and how we yearned for the carefree lives we once lived, mostly in our twenties; some of it in our teenage years. When she saw these pics of me, she replied “You look 17 again!” which inspired the title and theme of this post. And it got me to thinking, “What would my life be like if I were 17 again?”

Back then, my biggest responsibilities were doing well in school, of course, preparing for college, nailing my cheerleading routines for football and basketball games, balancing several part-time, after-school jobs, a small (jewelry) business, homework, and boyfriends, plus figuring out which funky, trendy fashions to wear to school (like a crazy dress, nameplate necklace and gold bamboo earrings), and to my multiple proms, and selecting a quote to accompany my senior yearbook picture. It’s funny to look back on all of those things and compare and contrast it to my life now. I still juggle a job and a small business, and ponder what to wear every day, and still rock funky, trendy fashions, and throwback jewelry like nameplate necklaces and bamboo earrings, but of course life has gotten tons more complex, with adult bills, adult responsibilities, and adult problems. But if I had the opportunity to be 17 again, would I take it?

I can’t say that I would. I have lived through several decades and faced a ton of life experiences that have positively and negatively impacted my life, but I wouldn’t change them (well most of them) for the world. It’s through these experiences that I’ve grown, matured, wisened up, and become the woman that I am today. And I love the woman that I am today. Even if at times I do look and dress like my 17 year old self.