Defining Moments: Middle School

I have about two memories per year of my childhood, and then I hit middle school. This time of life was so drastically different than previous years, so difficult, and so much a part of what became my "self" that I remember a lot more about it. I just got home tonight from a middle school reunion. I know it's abnormal to have a reunion with people you knew when you were 12, but I was part of a group of about 100 kids who left several other middle schools and were transplanted to one in another city, so we were probably "closer" than other middle school groups. It was neat to see each other again today. It always feels good to discover that a lot of basic things about a person don't change. It's nice to discover that we're still plugging along and doing a pretty good job at it. I love to see old friends. I love it partly because they are the ones who helped shaped me - I owe a lot to old friends. Here are some past scenes from these days I'll never forget:

Being in a car after some activity, listening to Mariah Carey sing "I can't li-i-i-ive if living is without you," and crying because I thought I really couldn't live without him.

Looking around after watching a PG-13 movie to find that one of my friends had disappeared. She had quietly gone to sit in a room all alone because she didn't want to watch those kinds of movies. Thank you Kristi.

Squealing with joy because a certain boy wanted to "go" with me.

"Planning" a first kiss (he chickened out so it didn't happen).

Writing note after note after note about nothing - in bright pink, purple, and blue.

Dissecting a rat.

Eating school lunch - pizza and tropicana, most days.

Noticing when some of my friends started swearing, but deciding I didn't want to.

Playing "bloody knuckles" - a truly good use of all that middle school wisdom.

Going to after school dances and dancing in the hands on shoulders hands on hips arms straight as boards position.

Singing in a school choir and putting on a musical for the first time in my life. It was no Broadway performance, but helped to define me. The musical, in case you're interested, was called "Bubble Trouble." I was Miss Finch, the secretary. We still joke around about that cheesy musical.

It's strange how to the rest of the world, our group must have seemed very young and still like children in a lot of ways, and yet from our eyes that wasn't the case. Our experiences were so important to us then, and are still important because they shaped us. The bonds that were created are still there, even though we don't see each other much anymore.