one lonely success

I have seven short minutes of spring break left, and I’m going to spend them….

talking

to

you.

Yes, you. The valued and treasured visitor.

I had an interesting last couple of days. Spending time back home will do that for you, I guess. Friday night, Misty and I met up with our old friend Josh. Josh was one of our closest friends in college and it had been way too long since we had last seen him. In the four years since our visit, Misty has earned her doctorate and I had started my own business, earned a Master’s degree in Anatomy and started dent school. He had spent his time doing nothing less than meeting someone, falling in love, getting married and living the American dream. We had a great time reminiscing about old times, old professors and old friends. We seemed to pickup right where we had left off four long years ago.

Unlike a few of our [quote]friends[/quote] in college, Josh didn’t turn out to be a tool. (For the aformentioned tools that might be reading this post, you know who you are.)

The night came to an all too sudden end and we left with promises of staying in touch and visiting more often. And. I hope we do.

On the way out of town, we stopped by a store to pickup a few “back-to-school” essentials and while waiting through a winding check-out line, I ran into an old acquaintance. Well, that’s actually not appropriate. This guy was more of a mentor than an acquaintance. You know the grandfatherly/mentor type, complete with white beard and endless words of wisdom? It was very strange seeing him and talking to him again. It had been so long since we last spoke that we had to catch up with each other with broad strokes.

For example, “I went to grad school and now am working towards my dent degree!” For him it was, “I’ve left my life-long position and started something totally new!”

Very strange.

The entire time I was growing up, I pictured him having an influence on my life. I never questioned that he would officiate my wedding, offer blessings to my newborn children and provide me with counsel into adulthood. Needless to say none of that has or ever will happen. And you know what? I can’t think of a bigger dissapointment in my life.

Damn.

The whole weekend really was a large social experiment, really. I went “home again”, which I hear you can never do, and while there was confronted with so much of my past. And tonight it hits me, reliving the past and longing for it to answer the questions you have today is kind of pointless.

You’re just not fooling anyone. Do you hear what I’m saying? You never fool anyone…

…kind of like plagiarizing a riff from Stairway to Heaven.

Goodbye Spring Break ‘04.