#ThrowbackThursday: Has It REALLY Been 10 Years, High School Musical?

I’m pretty sure that at 26, I’m probably too young to be saying this but…I’m getting old! There is no way that High School Musical happened ten years ago. Granted, I started college by the time the third movie came out, but it doesn’t feel like High School Musical came out ten years ago.

I mean, ten years ago, I was 16 years old. And I loved this musical. I had no idea that it would be the sensation that everyone would either love or hate. By the time I got to college, I stopped talking about it. Nowadays, I consider it (and the sequels) to be guilty pleasures. I occasionally listen to the songs and watching the 10th Anniversary Special last night made me feel majorly nostalgic.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years,though. 10 years ago, I was still in California, blissfully unaware that over the summer I would end up living in an entirely different state. I had my first kiss at 16. I still have the shirt I wore back then and yes, it still fits.

Even though nostalgia has become a major trend, hindsight reminds me that my past wasn’t all rainbows and puppies. While I remember being kissed at 16, I’d rather forget the guy who kissed me! I never thought, at 16, that I would be living in Texas and still trying to make a name for myself through my writing.

In reality, high school is not as fun or musical as TV likes to make it look. It’s less like High School Musical or Glee and more like The Hunger Games. I was somewhat popular in my high school because I did the morning announcements. I had a boyfriend. Sort of. But I wasn’t as happy as you’d think. By the time I got to my senior year, I felt less like High School Musical and more like this song by Paramore:

I didn’t realize it at the time, but the thing I was missing most was God and the richness of my Catholic faith. When I became part of the community at the University of St. Thomas, God slowly came back into my life. I discovered Adoration, Daily Mass, remembered how to pray the Rosary again, and went to Confession more often. I eventually broke up with my high school boyfriend after being on and off for about 3 years and found better things to love.

In this stage of my life, I often get frustrated when I see my friends and relatives getting married, having babies, living on their own, while I’m seemingly stuck in the same place that I’ve been ever since I got out of college. But I have to remind myself that the only person I can compare myself to is myself. Am I better than the person I was yesterday? If the answer is yes, then I made progress.

Am I a better person than I was 10 years ago?

Most definitely. I no longer want the guy who gave me my first kiss. I’m a much better writer than I was back then. I have somewhat better taste in music and in musicals. But more importantly, I’ve allowed God to be part of my life. I’m honestly happier than I was at 16 because even though I don’t have all the status symbols that people associate with success, the interior change that I’ve gone through is much more significant.

But for old time’s sake, I’m just gonna yell this one more time…

WHAT TEAM?

WILDCATS!

WHAT TEAM?

WILDCATS!

WHAT TEAM?

WILDCATS!

WILDCATS!

GET’CHA HEAD IN THE GAME!