Awkward title but what about your life now would completely shock your high school senior self? Have you experienced any major personality changes? Not just unexpected turns but actual changes in the way you think about things.
I always hated, hated pink and flowers. So stupid and girly. But I had an abrupt change of heart a few years back and decided that I do like pink and flowers; in fact, I like pink enough to paint my whole house pink.
I always read like a fiend. At least a book a week. But lately I’ve been lucky if I read five books a year. I’ve gotten distracted by the internet.
I no longer have thirteen piecings in my ears which I used to think was the coolest look ever.
I haven’t yet found a long term guy and aren’t particularly upset about it. I always assumed it would just happen by the time I was thirty or so but it’s taken longer and been a lot more work than I figured and now I don’t even know if I care enough to make any more effort.
I work in a cubicle. Office buildings always freaked me out and made me hyperventilate and I swore I’d live on the fringes forever. But, heck, I got tired of being broke.
But I do still like cats, loud indie rock, and cool shoes so some things are constants.
What about your current self would be unrecognizable to your teenage self?
I suppose the possibility that I could be twice divorced by 42 years old. Divorce was an oddity in my family. The one uncle’s divorce was somewhat shameful, I think (Mom’s family is heavily Catholic).
Me? I was going to marry, have kids, and die an old man surrounded by grandchildren. Divorce thoughts never entered into it.
The financial ruin I’m in, I guess, wasn’t much in the plans, either. (One of the several reasons for the divorce.)
Well, the idea of meeting a guy online, marrying him at the age of 22 and moving to another country to be with him would probably have made my teenage head explode.
I’m pretty sure I never expected to drop out of university either…
I would have to say nearly everything about me would shock the me of six or seven years ago.
The fact that I am actively working on getting out of the Computer Science field.
Being an Atheist.
Having a girlfriend that lives with me whenever it is convenient.
Despite the fact that those are complete one eighties from my former personality I think the thing that would shock me the most is that I am now more willing to spend money on home decor than computer upgrades.
I think that the fact that I have no problem speaking my mind and I’m not worried what people think about it. I was very shy around people I didn’t know.
One day I realized that I was the kind of middle-aged guy who has black coffee and a blood pressure pill for breakfast and calls waitresses “sweetheart”. Never saw that coming when I was young.
Interesting question! No real personality changes, but things sure didn’t work out the way I’d expected (hoped?).
He’d be shocked that I never got married or had any kids. He’d be amazed that I ended up going to college and even more astonished that I majored in math (WTF!!??) He would likely be surprised that I retired at 45. He’d be horrified to find out I have most of the same health problems as Dad did and aghast at the number of pills I’m supposed to take daily. And, man, what happened to your hair?
I’d have to reassure him that I may be going to hell in a bucket, but at least I’m enjoying the ride.
My teenage punk rock self would absolutely hate the beer swilling corporate working normal hair cut having dude I’ve aged into. But I don’t care, I get laid way more often than he does, so he can fuck off.
I’m not as shy as I used to be. I went to OrlanDope and had a wonderful time! My high school self would never have dared.
I’d be surprised at how interested I am in politics. I used to think the entire topic boring…but now I actively follow politics.
I’d be surprised at how close my dad and I are now, since my parents divorced. He’s with a wonderful woman now, who I think opened him up a lot. He told me he loved me for the first time when I was in my 20s. I always knew he did, you know…but he never said it before.
I expected to be and Electrical Engineer working on fascinating cutting edge tech, I am instead a business programmer, coding and analyzing business stuff. (Extremely non cutting edge)
I never expected to leave the Republican Party, I am doing so on February 6th. I was a young Republican, in my first election I was honored to vote for Reagan.
I never really questioned that at its heart the US was a force for good in the world and we were fit leaders of the free world. A certain administration has shaken my belief to the core. I now see we are capable of grave mistakes and deceptions. Far, far worse than anything Nixon, Johnson or Reagan did.
I am a lot grumpier then I use to be. My temper is much shorter. I don’t like this about myself.
I was homophobic and I did not believe gays had a right to marry. Now, I am not homophobic and I consider gay rights an important issue.
I used to believe in contacting life out there, now I doubt we ever will.
I never really expected to make it to 40. I am now older. This expectation had a lot to do with Cold War fears. When the wall came down, it made me feel very good about humanity.
I’m not an astronomer. I’m not Anne Neville, either, but that wouldn’t have been surprising.
I can finally afford to spend thousands of dollars on stereo equipment.
I haven’t spent anything on stereo equipment in years, and don’t even remember how to use the stereo we have. If I found a brand new expensive stereo sitting on my doorstep, I’d probably ask the kids if they wanted it.
