1
I think there’s a popular trope of sorts where you revisit some of your old high school acquaintances and find out how miserable their lives have become.
But it’s good to balance the scales every once in a while and focus on the exact opposite, the folks out there that really improved their lives later on.
2
A story about a guy from college: he finished medical school with flying colors, he became a psychiatrist, he traveled from conference to conference, 5 years later he dropped medicine (he said he couldn’t tell who was the doctor and who was the patient anymore). He went to some wild place (like, hogs come a look at what weirdo would come to this place) where he makes honey, breeds pigs, and goes fishing.
Sometimes, I go to his place to take a break from city life. And he lives a happy life.
3
My school friend had cystic fibrosis. In junior high and high school we were warned many times that CF was so brutal, that he would probably not make it to age 20. I think that made our nerdy little friend group bond because we all wanted Ralph to cram in as much fun as possible. Well, he’s pushing 50 now and is -no joke- a rocket scientist for NASA.
The NASA part isn’t surprising because he is wicked smart. That he is middle-aged and in good physical shape is surprising because all the adults around us were telling us he’d never make it.
4
It’s about my high school best friend… He was tied for top average grade percentage across our high-performing high school. Absolute scholastic unit… He’s now an ultimate frisbee playing, fun cycling, stay-at-home dad with a double degree and has a highly successful business-minded wife. He really was the smartest one of us.
5
A guy I know dropped out of college, never built a career, he worked on a construction site, and I thought he would drink himself to death. He has a bright and unusual appearance: it is not that he is just classically handsome, but he is very out of the ordinary and charming.
There was a time he lived outside because his parents were from a village and he didn’t have any relatives in the city. I remember that I helped him find a job. And then, a rich girl fell in love with him, they went to the capital, and a local modeling agency recruited him.
He moved to London and now he is on runways all the time. The girl moved to be with him after a while and they had a son.
6
When I was in school, it was kinda cool to look like a thug. And a guy from my class was the best at looking and acting like it. Teachers were scared of him and other guys were jealous. Obviously, girls absolutely loved him. At the age of 14, he looked much older than other guys. I hadn’t seen him for more than 20 years. I heard that he was a heavy drinker.
Finally, I got to see him again and his story blew my mind. He became a believer. It turned out that he helps people battle alcohol addiction. “I know what alcohol is all too well. I managed to stop and now I can help others do the same,” he told me.
7
I went to high school with a Victoria’s Secret Angel. She once dated Leonardo DiCaprio back in 2011. Erin didn’t always look the way she does today, and back when I remember her, she was a tom-boyish basketball player who wore sweats and hoodies every day to school. Little did anyone know there were wings underneath those drawstrings.
8
It’s my best friend in high school. His stepdad was a district attorney and apparently they didn’t get along at all. He sold illegal substances. My parents hated him. After he graduated from high school, while living 100 percent on his own, he did 2 years of college before getting accepted into a major medical university program that actually paid him to be there.
He is now a pharmaceutical engineer living in Switzerland. My parents were surprised to hear that.
9
An overweight guy in school was a lame dancer, teachers didn’t like him much, and didn’t expect him to become anything special. Now, 10 years later, he is a professional dancer and a world-famous teacher, he travels around the world with his lessons, he is developing, he’s smart, and he’s really cool. This is a very inspiring example, I’m happy for him!
10
I went to high school with a girl we all thought would probably just get married and settle into that life. She wasn’t, apparently, fit for much else. The commander of our ROTC unit somehow set her up as a housekeeper/maid for someone who soon became one of the most powerful men in the world. She set up her own company devoted exclusively to providing only the very best housekeepers money could buy (and a very thorough vetting). She became the first millionaire of our class.
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