Sidetracked

I'm supposed to be cleaning.  At least, that was my plan for today.  But I got sidetracked when I came across my old middle school annuals sitting (dusty) on my shelf.  Since I never miss an opportunity to be distracted from cleaning, I started thumbing through them.

I went to Jonesboro Junior High in Jonesboro, GA.  I went there because I had recently moved from the house I grew up in to a new town.  It was an interesting time in my life because on one side things were good (bigger house, cheerleading. . . important things to a 12 year-old,) but on the other side things were falling apart (my parent's marriage.)  Aside from the obvious awkward puberty experience, I was discovering new things about myself, that I was more than just the girl with skinny legs and uncontrollable frizzy hair.  I had opinions.  And if my parents had bothered to ask me, I could have told them my thoughts on what was happening to our family.  Not that it would have made anything different, but I realized I had a unique point of view.  But, I had not yet found my full voice.  That would come later. 

What I had found was a group of friends who knew how to have fun.  And I mean F.U.N.  For the first time, I actually got in trouble at school for pretending to swim on the sinks in the girls' bathroom.  I made my first D.  I smoked a cigarette, well, at least I pretended to.  And I got caught stealing perfume on a dare from the local Eckerd Drug Store.  None of these things resulted in a call to my parents.  (I was, however, banned from entering that drug store on Jonesboro Rd. and I do believe I kept that promise.)  My friends spent our weekends collecting toilet paper from our houses and decorating the neighborhood with it.  Then cleaning it up the next day when the neighbors came knocking at the door.  It may sound like I was a hoodlum, but our activities were fairly benign.  And I never did pick up smoking even though I tried.

I only had two years at this school before my mom moved us to Tennessee, her hometown.  But it was a very important time for me.  I learned that I could take care of myself.  And I learned that even when things may look like they are falling apart around you, that you still have you.  And you can choose whether to sink into it or rise above it.  Aside from my moment of thievery, I think I did a pretty good job.

As my daughters have gotten older, they have shared stories about the things they did when they were about the same age.  I have to admit, they surprised me.  (I still can't believe you guys snuck out the window and I didn't know it. . .)  I guess we see what we want to see.  I preferred to think my girls were safe in bed.  I'm sure my mother prefers to think that I didn't steal that perfume - after I told her the story when I was like, 38.  LOL 

I think we all get sidetracked from time to time.  But even those moments are important because you feel it.  It's like sleeping on the wrong side of the bed.  No matter how hard you try to stay, you always end up on the other side.  You find your way back to your space, and you're better for it.

I guess that means I have to go back and clean now.  :-)  Have a great week!