It’s Funny How Things Change

When I was young, my birthday parties were huge. About 50 kids would be invited. My entire class, my mother’s friend’s children, the neighbors, even far off cousins. Boys and girls would all play together and it was a mess of streamers and cake. Around the age of ten, it was suddenly not kosher to have friends who were boys. It was barely okay to even talk to one. And if you did you got teased and teased. “You like him,” they’d say.

Even so, every birthday, every girl in class was invited. Not just birthdays either. After every set of examinations or something just as momentous, we would all do everything together.

Being a teenager is harder. You must like a boy, you must have boobs, you only go out with your little circle of friends, who you are ‘oh so super close to’. It’s a bonus if you are also friends with members of the opposite sex.

And then college. Ah college. Everyday is amazing. Freshman year, numbers were exchanged with everyone who stood outside a building having a smoke. Everyone on the floor was nice and everyone in every class was happy to get to know someone.

And then we form circles, ad groups, but I believe we are still spread decently thin. College has parties, and everyone and their dog is invited. You meet people through people, have long philosophical discussions, exchange ideas and phone numbers and promise to add them on facebook. It’s great. A great clusterfuck of booze and the initial rush of meeting someone new.

Then college ends, and everything goes back to how it was at the end of highschool.

This had lead me to a few conclusions/left me with questions:

1. As we progress through a major stage of life, we become more conservative with who we share our time with.

2. We live life in stages. And everything repeats itself like in a tautology.

( speaking of tautologies )

3. I have no idea what comes next. I hope it’s exciting.