I was talking to someone yesterday about how hard it is to be a grown up.  She said "And to think we couldn't wait for this!"  My response, "I'd go back to high school in a heartbeat!  Knowing what I know now, of course!"  This got me thinking.  If I could go back now, what lessons would I take with me? 

Some thoughts:

• This is the last time in your life that you'll be with all of your friends every day.  Enjoy it now, because you'll go years without a single friend to talk to.
• Not all of those kids who are the "popular" ones now grow up to be successful.  Some of them are truly living their glory days right this minute.
• Those boys will tell you anything to get you to believe them.  They grow into men who do the same thing.
• A little less hairspray and a lot less bangs would go a long way.
• Enjoy all that sleep now because there will come a day when you'll be lucky to sleep till 5 am!
• "Nice" lasts a lot longer that "damn fine".
• If you can get straight A's sleeping through class, imagine what you could do if you really tried. 
• Hold on to the people who mean the most.  You're going to miss friends like that when you're older.
• Slow down.  Believe it or not, you are going to live past 23.  Save some stuff for down the road when you know how to appreciate it.
• These may not be the best days of your life, but they certainly rank near the top.  Enjoy them.  In too few years, you could be arrested for the nonsense you're doing now.
• The decisions you're making now really do effect the rest of your life.  So, are you sure you want to wear those spray painted sweatshirts or purple bodysuits?

Would I have listened to any of this advice?  Probably not - I was kind of a hardhead.  Would I have benefited from it?  Absolutely.  I don't know where I would've ended up, but I know it wouldn't have been here. 

(Un)fortunately, there is no going back.  All you can do now is look back and smile/groan.  You're on a one-way street hurtling forward at a pace you could only keep up with when you were young enough to think it was dragging by.