TEEN YEARS
I know for most people teenage years were turmoil. It was a special time when you mostly did things because they were fun or because they would piss off your parents. Don’t get me wrong, there were other reasons why I did stuff; like to prove to some random ‘friend ‘that I could do something they could not. You know to rub their faces in it.
It probably sounds stupid now, but back then, it was the way of life. You did stuff then rationalized them until you began to actually believe the lies you told yourself to justify the non-sense. When most girls were discovering that boys were actually kind of fun and no longer gross. I discovered the sinister art of vengeance and manipulation.
I finally figured out that the only way to truly move on (from some bad experience) was to make the offending parties pay. Part of the fun was lulling them into a false sense of security, while in actual sense I would hit back in ways that left no doubt that all was not forgiven. Like I said, Sinister! As you grow up you eventually figure out some more sensible way of ‘purging’
Then came my music-obsessed phase, when I knew the lyrics to all the pop songs at the time and filled my room with posters of celebrities complete with the Brandy braids( got my mother to watch the music video and promise that I could have braids like that during the December break-this was no easy feat).
The whole time, I was having the mean music obsessed phases my constant and never changing love was literature. The good, the ok, the -oh- my –God- who -published -that and the just plain bad. I read it all age appropriate or otherwise. They ranged from comics and beano to the works of Sandra Dubay.
Eventually I figured out I was the kind of person who will indulge in all art forms at least once before deciding that I hated it or maybe even loved it. Any account of my teen years would however not be complete without paying tribute to my favourite movie at the time. Unfortunately referring to it by name would undoubtedly give away my age. So, instead I will say, It taught me about racism or lack there off as well as the way humans can overcome seemingly impossible odds with just a little willpower and a whole lot of communication.
Looking back I have, to admit that hidden behind all the stupidity and silliness I learnt some valuable life lessons from those years. From the phase and all the steps I may have skipped because life’s greatest lessons come from pain and there are two types of pain. There is the pain from discipline or the pain of regret.
Take a look at your teen years and see which is worse; the pain of regret for any missteps and/or missed steps or the pain of remaining disciplined and sticking with the plan. You might learn a thing or two. Because beneath all the superficial frivolous things you did then, are some of the most important life lessons.
I know for most people teenage years were turmoil. It was a special time when you mostly did things because they were fun or because they would piss off your parents. Don’t get me wrong, there were other reasons why I did stuff; like to prove to some random ‘friend ‘that I could do something they could not. You know to rub their faces in it.
It probably sounds stupid now, but back then, it was the way of life. You did stuff then rationalized them until you began to actually believe the lies you told yourself to justify the non-sense. When most girls were discovering that boys were actually kind of fun and no longer gross. I discovered the sinister art of vengeance and manipulation.
I finally figured out that the only way to truly move on (from some bad experience) was to make the offending parties pay. Part of the fun was lulling them into a false sense of security, while in actual sense I would hit back in ways that left no doubt that all was not forgiven. Like I said, Sinister! As you grow up you eventually figure out some more sensible way of ‘purging’
Then came my music-obsessed phase, when I knew the lyrics to all the pop songs at the time and filled my room with posters of celebrities complete with the Brandy braids( got my mother to watch the music video and promise that I could have braids like that during the December break-this was no easy feat).
The whole time, I was having the mean music obsessed phases my constant and never changing love was literature. The good, the ok, the -oh- my –God- who -published -that and the just plain bad. I read it all age appropriate or otherwise. They ranged from comics and beano to the works of Sandra Dubay.
Eventually I figured out I was the kind of person who will indulge in all art forms at least once before deciding that I hated it or maybe even loved it. Any account of my teen years would however not be complete without paying tribute to my favourite movie at the time. Unfortunately referring to it by name would undoubtedly give away my age. So, instead I will say, It taught me about racism or lack there off as well as the way humans can overcome seemingly impossible odds with just a little willpower and a whole lot of communication.
Looking back I have, to admit that hidden behind all the stupidity and silliness I learnt some valuable life lessons from those years. From the phase and all the steps I may have skipped because life’s greatest lessons come from pain and there are two types of pain. There is the pain from discipline or the pain of regret.
Take a look at your teen years and see which is worse; the pain of regret for any missteps and/or missed steps or the pain of remaining disciplined and sticking with the plan. You might learn a thing or two. Because beneath all the superficial frivolous things you did then, are some of the most important life lessons.
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