17 Again

Yesterday was my birthday and I've been trying to think of what to write for a blog to commemorate.  Thirty-four things about me sounds hard and quite depressing, so we will skip that one for now.  Then I started thinking about movies, for no apparent reason, and said aloud (again, for no apparent reason) "I wonder what I would be missing if I was 17 again".  So let's just see where this takes us.


1.  I wouldn't have a mortgage.  Yeah, this is one of those good things.  Especially right now as we are getting ready to have two of them.  Don't ask.  I'll tell later.  But secretly I think Brad is trying to kill me.

2.  I wouldn't have met Brad yet.  This one I'm on the fence about.  KIDDING!  Well...  Brad and I have been through so much that I really can't remember my life before him.

3.  I wouldn't have experienced college yet and met some of the most amazing friends I could ever imagine.

4.  I wouldn't have been in debt yet (and gotten out).  Another good one. 

5.  I wouldn't have known my own life struggle.  I struggled with a lot of things in high school, but nothing that I couldn't sweep under the rug and pretend wasn't there. 

6.  I wouldn't have gotten close to my brother and sister.

7.  I would still be scared to cut certain people out of my life.

8.  I wouldn't know the true value of family and friends.

9.  I wouldn't know about facebook yet.  Or email, really.  I knew about it, but all my friends were in school with me, what in the world did I need email for?

10.  NO CELL PHONES

11.  I wouldn't have time to read for pleasure.

12.  I think friends you meet as adults are different and better in their own way.

13.  I wouldn't truly know the Lord.

14.  I really wouldn't know responsibility yet. 

15.  I would still get lots of birthday presents. 

I often wonder what I would do differently if I could do it all over again.  For one, I'd study more in college. But at the same time, that was it's own experience.  I lead a very blessed life, one that I really couldn't have imagined at the age of 17.  It makes me wonder what will be different when I'm 50!  I remember thinking 30 was so old when I was 17.  Now I just think anything older than me is old.