How I wish I could better recall some of the ridiculous things that went through my head at the age of seventeen. Not the crazy, dangerous things I did, but the ideas and goals that I thought were important. I'm not saying this because I'm unfulfilled or disappointed in where I am as an adult (quite the contrary), but working in the high school I hear students say some pretty crazy things. I wonder to myself if the milestones that mean so much to them now, once held similar excitement for me. For example, just today a student asked me the date, I answered, and the the rest of the convesation went like this... (Keep in mind that this student is typically a pretty funny individual)

Student: Only 2 months and 1 day until I'm eighteen.

Me: How many hours?

Student: I don't know, they don't care about hours on your ID.

Me: Why do you want your ID to say eighteen ? What will 18 on your ID allow you to do?

Student: Four things...I can buy lottery tickets, go to a gentlemans club, buy cigarettes, and buy cough medicine.

Me: (Sarcastically) Wow, sounds like your life will be complete.

I wonder to myself...was I excited when I was legally able to purchase lottery tickets? I recall feeling pretty grown up when I could purchase cigarettes and I wasn't even a smoker. As I approach my birthday I'm going to try and come up with some sort of milestone I can get excited about (besides menapause, lol). Maybe I'll go out and buy lottery tickets, cigarettes, cough medicine, frequent a gentlemans club, and pretend I'm eighteen again.