That High School Spirit...

 Years ago, I, like millions of others, attended public school. I advanced through the grades, attended different schools, and after thirteen years I sat in a big room with a couple of thousand other kids who did the same thing as me. Dressed in a brown (yes, brown...) robe I walked up and accepted a piece of paper that represented a diploma, which, in turn, represented the fact that I spent all those years sitting in classes, taking notes, putting off homework, and spending time with friends.

By the time I reached my senior year--my last year--I thought that school was so important, so all-encompassing. And why not? It was my life...it's all I knew.

Funny how important things tend to lose their luster over time.

With the advantage of hindsight, I can look at not only my years in school but the system in general. Important? Of course. All-encompassing? Not even close. 

Growing up I lived in a small town and we almost had one high school in each community. I traveled to the next town over to attend, give or take about five miles away. Now, just over thirty years after I finished, they built a brand-new, shiny high school in my hometown. I now live once again in a small town with its own high school. The next closest high school is at least twenty miles away. In time, that will change.

But that school spirit, that high school spirit...I think for some, it will never change. Kids will enter the system as small children and kick them out and label them as adults, whether or not they are. And businesses will hang banners and put up signs to take advantage of that spirit--hopefully converting school pride to cash. Good for them, I say. 

For me, unlike some, I have fond memories of my high school years. I remember hanging out with my friends, something I wish I could still do, though I know that life has ended. I sure wish I was as healthy as I was back then--that will never come back, nor should it. Life is meant to be lived, new experiences replace the old. It's the way it should be. When I saw a school banner in our local pizza joint, it brought back things, even though the banner wasn't from the school draped in brown and gold. Ah, that high school spirit...it never quite disappears entirely, just fades away a little more year after year.