Win at high school, lose at life

I read Wil Wheaton's blog. Not because I'm some Star Trek fan-boy. In fact, I've never seen an episode of any of the "modern" Star Trek series or any of the Star Trek movies. I've only seen the occasional episode of the original Star Trek series, and most of those were one year on New Year's Day when I was so hungover it was too painful to even reach for the remote to change channels.

I enjoy reading Wil's blog (as long as I can dodge all the "you're a Republican/Conservative so you're stupid" posts). I read Wil Wheaton's blog for all the great personal stuff and discussions of the writing process. In fact, his blog is one of the things that encouraged me to start my own blog.

In a post last night he told the story of his trip to speak to his son's high school creative writing class. It's a great story. Had me totally sucked in to see what happened next. But the part I liked best was a line near the end when he posts a paragraph he self-edited out of his talk at the school. It was about how the social part of high school doesn't matter later in life. About how when you get out of high school, you don't have to ever see anyone else from high school ever again if you don't want to. He mentioned a comment a friend said to him once - "If you win at high school, you lose at life."

I really like that quote. I definitely don't feel like I "won" at high school. I was not in the popular crowd. I was not on the top of the party invitation lists. Don't get me wrong - I had some very good and close friends, a few of which I'm still friends with today, over 20 years after graduation. But the funny thing is that quote rings so very true.

When I went to my 10 year reunion, I ran into a guy that I guess would fit into the super-set of friends. More than an acquaintance, as I'd known him my whole life. But not anyone I'd spent any time with outside of school or youth group activities at church. He also really teased me a lot all the way through school and generally made my life miserable. After graduation I never saw him again. When I ran into him at the reunion I was at least 8 inches taller than him and outweighed him by probably 100 pounds. Think tennis player vs. NFL offensive lineman. After exchanging hellos, it went something like this:

Him: "If I were you, I'd knock my head off."

Me: "Why?" (I was very confused by this comment. I wondered if he had said something to my wife earlier that I didn't know about)

Him: "For the way I treated you in school all those years."

Me: "The past is the past. What would it change for me to do that now?"

My wife was standing nearby, and overheard the conversation. I've shared some of that long ago time with her, but not all of it. Later she asked about it, and I explained it a little more.

Today, that guy lives in a 1.6 million dollar home (according to Zillow) in a city where the average middle class home is probably 200k. He works in sales for a major computer manufacturer. I live in a far more middle class home (different city) and write code all day. But my job is 9-5 (or less) and I have lots of time for my wife, my friends, the youth group at church, and for enjoying life overall. Last I heard we was working and travelling for work all the time. He has some kids, too. I wonder how well they know him.

Would I trade lives with him? Not a chance. After all, he won high school, but I won life.

Does that axiom always hold true? Of course not. But I think it does more times than not.

Thank you Jesus for giving me what I need and not more than I can handle.