Why high school shouldn't be the best years of your life

Alright its time to address those 'growing old' concerns that seem to be plaguing everyone in my age bracket. I myself am turning 23 this year and get comments like, 'Oh you getting old girl'. First of all if you're still calling me a 'girl' how old could I really be? Second please stop talking. The early twenties are, thanks to the standard of living in Canada, just a quarter of your life. If I'm supposed to slow down and feel old at 25% of my life cycle I would be near suicidal.

In all seriousness, guys, what the fudge bars? How am I an aunty/grandma/decrepit old coot at 22 or 23? Did a cane just pop out my backside when I went over the hill? Did the pimples I had only a few years ago spontaneously combust into wrinkles?

If this is you after high school...........

..................you might have a serious problem.

You see, I'm not particularly hip. I don't listen to the radio much. The TTC just isn't keeping me up to date with what kids are listening to nowadays. Then again I did catch a song the other day with the chorus 'I look good in your grandpa's clothes' and remembered why I don't care about what the kids are listening to. Back to the point... Since I am unconcerned with the eternal fountain of youth, this descent  into old age (at 22) is not troubling me all that much. Frankly speaking I'm really glad I'm from basically the last generation that grew up listening to some kind of rock (RHCP, Pearl Jam, Nirvana represent!). 

That one year I spent in a Canadian high school drilled it into me that university would be a massive jump. A leap of faith where if you didn't ingest your textbook and generate that work ethic you didn't have in high school you would drop out faster than an anvil in a Looney Tunes cartoon. From my experience this really only applied to the people in high school who worked really hard or the random slacker that got into university and decided not to go to class, ever. I am a product of a different school system though... You think school is your ally. But you merely adopted the education system; I was born in it, moulded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a (wo)man, by then it was nothing to me but BLINDING!

Last but not least one major complaint is the beating everyone's social life took in this journey from high school to university. Well I can't speak for the GTA but I've noticed a lot of high school friendships didn't really stand the test of time. Pretty much two or three survivors make it out of the mire of time. There are 10,000 people at the Scarborough Campus and twice that at St. George, sorry UTM but you're too distant. Two hundred campus clubs, an SCSU that literally only throws parties and well the other thousands of students in Toronto and people tell me that their social life takes a hit? HOW? You quite literally have to hole up in a corner of the library and maintain an exclusive relationship with your textbook to manage this. 

Dear old chaps, I'm just trying to prod you into opening your eyes to the reality of our situation. If high school was the best years of your life you've basically prematurely curbed the glory of your existence. I know I was a complete idiot for the greater part of my teens. (Why why did I think turquoise bellbottoms were so cool?!) If you just forget for a minute that your biggest concern went from being what to have for lunch to OSAP you gotta take the  good with the bad. The world is just waiting for you to blossom into the creature of marvel you could be. Don't give up hope because that girl/guy you met in high school probably isn't the same as they were back then, there are nice profs and bad profs like teachers, money doesn't grow on tress but you can't live off your parents the rest of your life either. SO BUCK UP and prepare for the ride of your life because you have a life left to live.

I got 99 problems but...

<3 Z