I’m sitting here on a Saturday morning, waiting for the weather to turn into something I love, watching Peggy Sue got Married. I love that movie, any movie or show or book where people travel through time gets my attention.
In case you haven’t seen it, the premise is Peggy Sue has a medical emergency and travels back to her teenage self. After she gets a handle on what happened to her, she seizes this opportunity to right all of her perceived wrongs. First off is not marrying her high school sweetheart. Next, and here’s the part I really love, she gets to know the people she shunned, not really shunned, they just weren’t in her circle.
She befriends the nerd, the one that will really make something of himself in the future, she gives him a heads up on what will happen in technology and women’s fashion. She first friends him to see if he can help her get back to her time, at first he thinks she is making fun of him, then realizes she is telling the truth. It is pleasant watching their friendship unfold.
Next she engages with the real social outcast, the James Dean type, the deep, poet spouting, motorcycle riding, too good-looking to be real guy. She simply has, hmm what is the word we use here, a tryst with him, he thinks it is something deeper. Wants her to come with him to Utah to live on a chicken farm with another woman. Because polygamy is legal in Utah (apparently in that time frame), the quick thinking Peggy Sue says she can’t because she is allergic to chickens.
She tries her best to change her future, she keeps breaking the heart of her boyfriend, breaking up with him. Accusing him of all the things he does in the future, which of course confuses him greatly because he hasn’t done those things yet.
Towards the end Peggy Sue comes to realize her children would not exist if she succeeds in changing things. When she comes to that realization she wakes up in her future self, things seemingly normal, like it was all a dream.
Then someone brings her a book the poet wrote, dedicated to her and she realizes it wasn’t a dream.
I think a lot about this, if I landed in my teenage body, what would I do, who would I want to befriend that I didn’t? knowing some of these people as adults, there are a few I would have liked to have known in jr high and high school.
I believe core personalities are formed in our childhoods, our pre-school days, take me for instance, I am caustic, sarcastic, funny, nerdish, geeky as all get out and engaging. I don’t say this for bragging rights, although I could, I say this because I have always had these core personality traits. They have not always won friends and influenced people.
So, seeing old school mates in the form they are in now, getting to know their core personalities here’s a list of a few of the people I wish I had taken the time to talk to:
Fred – he’s funny, sarcastic and speaks his mind. He does not mince words to save feelings. I like that.
Billy – once again, funny is the first word, also sweet and thoughtful.
Deanna – She is sweet, thoughtful and giving.
Carol – She is sweet and stands up for what she believes in.
Here’s one I don’t know on FB, but did know in HS, however, we were never really good friends as we traveled in very different circles.
Eldora, she was smart, like crazy smart, and when you did speak to her she was nice, and funny, I truly regret not getting to know her.
There are more, however it would take a long time to list them all, these are the ones that made the short list.
As to what I would change otherwise, nothing, because my life is well my life and while not perfect it is mine. I wouldn’t want different children, so nothing to change there, so everything else would remain intact. Oh I would talk to my parents more, and visited my grandma and great-aunt Effie more. Those are things I would change.
Owasso Thoughts
So, my friend Billy G. from Owasso said something provocative on Facebook (of course) the other day. He said “Facebook is a great place to be friends with people who didn’t like you in high school.” Well, I don’t have to tell you that set off a firestorm of comments.
I am going to add my own here, I came to Owasso in the 8th grade, actually the summer before 8th grade. Since I lived in the country I really only got to meet one person in my grade before school started. She has turned out to be my best friend, Tammi; she lived up the hill from me. Literally up the hill.
People in Owasso had been together already since Kindergarten, those cliques are not easy to infiltrate, so we began our own, some, like us, came to Owasso late, others had been there all their lives.
Not everyone gave me a warm welcome; I’m good with that, they already had their friend cards filled with others. Some were downright mean, I’m good with that as well, I can give as well as receive, and I really could then.
I was pretty snobby back then, total defensive mechanism, because the reality of it is I am the least snobby person alive. Well, certain things I am incredibly snobby about, crocs, hate them, judge people who wear them. Especially if you are not a worker that stands on your feet a lot or do not have health issues that require you to wear them. If you wear them to a sedentary job and wear socks with them, you will feel my ridicule. You all can judge me for judging others on that point.
I met a woman yesterday, who after speaking with me for a total of 5 minutes said, “you’re one of those people that make friends wherever you are, aren’t you?” Yes, yes I am, I am friendly by nature, I smile a lot and will talk to anyone.
However, that does not mean I tell my life story, that you will never get out of me, it’s mine, I choose very carefully who I share that with.
But back to Billy’s provocative posting, he was joking, because that is who he is, a jokester, and I love that about him. But the post struck a nerve with some people; it probably dredged up memories of meanness that one does not really get over. They get past it, but not over it, not me, I didn’t care if they were mean to me then and I really don’t care now.
If I had made friends with the really popular people I seriously cannot imagine the trouble I would have gotten into. I found enough trouble on my own, I heard about the parties that the popular people were having and believe you me, I was tame in comparison. My parents would have really disowned me if I had been involved with those!
Owasso was a great place for me, I came into my own there, I found acceptance in a family there, I found lifelong friends. I found my best friend there, who knows all there is to know about me and still loves me.
As for being friends with people who didn’t like me in high school, I’m not, I’m picky about my Facebook friends, I reserve it for people I would want to hang out with in person.
Angie World 