Wisdom From Stephen King

"At the time we're stuck in it, like hostages locked in a Turkish bath, high school seems the most serious business in the world to just about all of us. Its not until the second or third class reunion that we start realizing how absurd the whole thing was." - Stephen King, On Writing

The high school absurdity I most poignantly remember is my fear of walking through Senior Hall. Even though I had to pass that way every morning of my freshman year on my way to band class, I most days walked clear around the outside of the school to avoid said hall. On the days when I was too late for the detour, I rushed through the hall as quickly as possible.

Senior Hall was lined with, as you might imagine, senior boys. They sat shoulder to shoulder, legs out in front of them, creating a menacing gauntlet through which we all passed. And my fear - no, what I knew to be true - was that they were checking out my ass. My friends laughed at this assertion, but I knew the dark truth. I had seen them with their mocking eyes, cupping their hands to whisper to one another their assessment as each female form navigated the gauntlet.

Now, 25 years later, I am still confident in that truth. Growing older has simply given me the confidence not to care what others think of how I look.  And, its given me enough security to understand that NOT everyone is staring at my ass!  What age has given me is the wisdom and confidence not to give a shit.