| In hindsight, I realize that I took the relationships in my life for granted when i was younger because I always had an abundance of them in high school and college. Back then I was very involved in church, went on ski trips, camping trips, kayaking, and participated in weekly extracurricular activities. Friends were just around all the time. Also looking back, all of my good memories are people an experiences, not money, projects, or things - all of which education and the real world focus you on. Now that I'm 28 and have a family, it is difficult to spend time with friends - even the ones with families as well. Everyone has jobs and lots of other commitments. By now most of my college friends have moved away and even the ones that haven't I rarely see. These days I make a conscious effort to attend anything I possibly can with friends, and it certainly helps. My point is that if there are any high school/college aged people reading my advice is that you take advantage of every opportunity with friends now. Focus on quality and quantity of relationships. If you have a choice between a "B" on a project if you go out with friends and an "A" if you stay home and study, pick the former. The relationships you build will be far more useful to you in life that getting the "A." Not saying all the fun stops, it just becomes less sporadic and further between visits with friends. The reason I am saying all of this is because I wish someone would have told it to me...not that I would have listened anyway. |