High school, ah, the memories!

I was doing a little internal reminiscing about it myself recently and honestly, it had me cringing before you can even say “I’m late for homeroom.”

Although these are only some of them, here are a plethora of the reasons why I’d never want to hop back into those hallowed halls:

• Cliques and social drama

High school was like a real-life soap opera. The cliques, the gossip, the unspoken rules – it was a veritable jungle in there. Remember the cafeteria seating chart? It was like a strategic battle plan.

• Awkwardness

High school was the era of braces, bad haircuts and questionable fashion choices. (Guilty on all counts, by the way.) We all had our “awkward phase,” and some of us are still in and / or recovering from them sadly!

• Academic pressure

Homework, exams, projects – the workload was relentless. And let’s not forget the stress of college applications. The pressure to excel was intense.

• Identity crises

Who am I? What do I want to be? High school was a time of self-discovery, but sometimes that journey was confusing and exhausting!

• Bullying

Sadly, bullying was (and still is) a harsh reality for many. Whether you were the target or witnessed it, those bad memories can linger.

• Teachers and assignments

Some teachers were inspiring, while others… not so much. And those group projects? Let’s just say they tested me in a whole different way.

• Rules, rules, rules

Uniforms, hall passes, no cell phones – high school felt like a microcosm of rules, didn’t it? Freedom was a distant dream.

• First heartbreaks

Crushes, unrequited love and other such teenage sorrows. Need I say more?

• Popularity contests

The popularity hierarchy was like a pyramid. If you weren’t at the top, life felt like “Mean Girls” meets the “Hunger Games,” you dig? Hint: I was not at the pinnacle of that sucker!

• The Bell curve

The dreaded bell curve grading system. Sometimes you’d work your butt off and still end up with a C. It was so frustrating, am I right?

To be honest, I haven’t been to any high school reunions, either.

It always ends up turning into a competition of who’s more successful than whom.

I don’t need that kind of negative reinforcement in my life, to be frank.

I mean, heaven forbid you aren’t married at a high school reunion. The pity is palpable and so is the desire to “fix you up” with anyone and everyone west of the Mississippi.

Yikes, and I’ll pass.

The bottom line is, there’s more to life than a significant other. Like oh, I don’t know, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens? What can I say, I’m a sucker for a great Julie Andrews flick, so sue me!

Kimerer is a columnist with more issues than readers digest. Contact her with a list of YOUR favorite things at pkimerer@zoominternet.net.