Surprise is around every corner and in every conversation :)

I have attended my school ever since the first day of kindergarten. I showed up in my kitty tee and hair clips and have gone ever since. I can still remember the way my fear and excitement bubbled in my chest that day and the way the big wet tears formed in my mother’s eyes as she hugged me outside the door to my very first classroom. That day was over eleven years ago and a lot has changed since! There was the awkward glasses/braces stage to being totally metal free thank goodness. Then there was my transition from peewee soccer to volleyball and lastly to cheerleading. I have also stopped wearing kitty shirts. One thing that has hardly changed, are the names of my classmates.

The friendships changed as frequently as European borders, heights soared, attitudes became much more pronounced and the individuals themselves have mostly all come into their own. Sadly, I didn’t really notice the last part until today. Even though my classmates have changed, my opinions of them really have not. I do not hold grudges over past offenses of course, but I haven’t really done anything to rebuild the bridges that previously been burnt. Before my quest began, I pretty much just kept to my best friends but luckily my Quest has forced me to branch out!

Today I was talking to one of my classmates named Alexandra. Like most of the kids in my grade, we had gone to school together for 11 years and I still had never taken the time to get to know her! That is definitely a mistake. Today, out of the blue, we realized we both loved such classic movies like 16 Candles and Breakfast Club. She even recommended a few more that she thought I would enjoy. I know they are both very popular movies but it was still an eye opener for me! Because I had never really taken the time to get to know her, I had never discovered all that we had in common! Just like me, Alexandra had come to realize just how bratty she was back in our younger years. It seems that I am not the only one who wishes that everyone would forget the elementary school Katie!

After the bell rang and we went our separate ways, I realized just how important it was to get to know people and not just cast them away after one conversation. In my eleven years of schooling I surely had had a million chances to get to know Alexandra and I made the mistake of never making an attempt. I think it’s time for me to start making up the time I wasted. I still do have a week left after all! :)