When I was 13 years old....
I lived for:
Music: Moody and In Your Face
The Phone (no cell phones yet)
MTV (there were still videos then)
The Mall
Black Clothing
Converse All Stars
Being Alone
Being With Friends
Being Independent
Reading Epic Novels- especially classic love stories with tragic endings
Fashion
Sleep-overs
Trying to Live Outside the Box
It Killed Me To.....
Have to Talk in Public
Dinner with My Parents
Deal with Teachers
Blend In (I resisted so much)
Be Alone
Be with People
Hang Out with My Younger Sister
Go to Family Functions (especially if it involved dressing up)
This list enabled me to transport myself back in time 20 years. As I created this list, I instantly felt uncomfortable, similar to when I was 13. I was an "interesting" teenager. I was always hell bent on finding myself and understanding the world around me. I found myself resistant to the trends around me (which in itself was a trend at the time). I was always friendly to my peers yet I did not want to make too many friends. It was important to me to be able to trust who I let in and know they were "real." To this day, I still have the very same friends I had when I was 13....
I was thoughtful and honest (to myself not always my parents ;). I was intelligent, strong willed, and had a clear sense of right and wrong. With this, I was also a dreamer. The world seemed strange and different and I was curious to uncover its "agenda."
As I aged, some of my core principles have not changed, although they have developed, flourished, and grown over time. Thinking back, I am please with my 13 year old self; throughout the awkwardness grew a strong-willed woman with a sense of self and an understanding of life.
