So I had a chance encounter at the grocery store a few minutes ago. Not a 'Hey, look, a Pikachu' chance encounter, but one of the High School variety.

Usually I hate running into people I went to High School with. It's nothing against them, and it's certainly not because I don't like them; I really like a whole bunch of people I went to school with. The problem is, it's always that brief, awkward catch-up before everybody goes their separate ways. It's a socially awkward situation, and I'm not very good at situations where I can't think of anything to say. But I digress.

So I was at the Fresh Value Mart on a mission for evaporated milk, which would go into a delicious carrot cake. Fresh out of the shower, my hair was all messy awful, and I had just pulled on my Sunnydale tee-shirt for the trip. The instant I walked through the door, I ran into Jamie.

Jamie was somebody I knew in High School. Not really know in a 'Hey, let's go to a party way', but in that way where you both say hello to each other in the hall, and say you're friends, but don't really do anything after that. You know, High School Friends.

She recognized me, and introduced herself, even though I was pretty sure I already knew who she was. Whew, crisis averted. We talked for a minute; she was still the same, except for a few life changes.

First, it's probably good to preface this with a brief explanation. I'm pretty sure Jamie was a 'cool kid' in school. I'm a terrible judge at these things, so don't trust my intuition, but she seemed that way. She had the whole teenage Daria thing going on, with the unimpressed cynicism and deadpan humor, that whole thing. But she was always really cool.

Anyway, in the couple minutes we were there, she mentioned that she had hit a wall. It had been six years since school, and she had realized she wasn't really doing anything with her life. She has a kid, and is going to start college. Good for her. The cynicism was still there, but it was tempered. A little more level from having been in the world.

It made me realize, holy smokes, I'm approaching my mid twenties. I'm well aware that I'm not old, by any stretch of the imagination, but it did make me realize time is passing pretty quickly. High School didn't seem like that long ago, and even though I don't miss it, I realize that I'm burning through my reckless years (maybe I'm out of reckless years?) Other people I went to school with are married, and have mortgages and stuff. I'm literal poison to women, and I play bass poorly.

Don't get me wrong, I'm completely happy. Matter of fact, I'm so content being left to my own devices that it's almost ridiculous. But it did make me think what would have happened had my life gone in some other direction. Would I be married? With a kid? Doing marketing, like I am, or somewhere else? Would my wife even let me own like a bajillion musical instruments?

Pretty heady stuff for a Sunday. I guess the point of this blog was to mention that really, I'm feeling good with where I am. No kids. No wife. No mortgage. No problem.

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