Why hello there,
It's funny that the Blog This Challenge for this week should be what it is- What would you tell your younger self, given the chance? As I mentioned, I spent the weekend at a Big Bogan Wedding, which happened to be held in the town I grew up in, where I spent my childhood. So I've been doing a lot of reflecting on my early years, and the people I grew up with (a lot of whom were at the wedding. It's a small town).
The highlight of the wedding was, for me, catching up with a very old friend of mine, who, for the sake of anonymity on the seedy interweb, we will call the Silver Fox. This is him here. Please excuse the crapness of the photo, I was a bit pissed by the time the speeches came on.
The Silver Fox and I went to primary school together. We were mates. We teased each other mercilessly. We complained about boy germs and girl germs. But in actual fact, we really couldn't get enough of each other.
When we were in Year Five, our entire year attended the Year Six formal of the year above us. Like I said, it's a small town. They needed both years to attend just to fill up the community hall.
The Silver Fox asked me to dance. I, for some God unknown reason, got my bitch on, and turned him down. As happens with the sordid relationships of 11 year old, my 'best friend' stepped in to fill the void. My best mate and the Silver Fox became, for all intents and purposes, a fully fledged primary school couple. Very sweet.
A few short month later, the Silver Fox and his family relocated to the other side of the country. A couple of thousand k's away. We kept in touch, sporadically. I've seen him a handful of times. Believe or not, every time I see him, the sparks still fly, the same childhood chemistry still applies. It's just that every time I've seen him in the past, I get my bitch on. I can't help it. It's my fatal flaw- the nice guys, I'm a bitch to. The bad boys, I'm sweet as sugar.
And this time? Well, the sparks still flew, but I'm a married woman, and just not that kinda girl. And, maybe for that reason, the bitch stayed firmly locked in her box. We spent an hour talking and laughing, about old times and new ones. Then I went back to my motel room, with my husband. So, sadly, we'll file this one under the "Could 'ave been's". And take an important lesson from it.
To the younger, sillier, far more fragile and less confident Lori:- Stop being such a bitch. Be nice to those who are nice to you (but please note, teenage Lori, being nice to people and sleeping with them are not implicit). Stay away from the bad boys (except your husband- he may be a bad boy, but he's a keeper). And if nothing else, appreciate people for what they are, without an agenda, and you may just have a better time than what you ever will being distracted by silly things like romance and insecurities.
Don't let things fall into the "Could 'ave been" basket. You may just regret it.
You'll always be mine, in the back of my mind...
I'll look for you first, in my next life...
Pink, 'The One That Got Away'