When I look at my Facebook profile, my list of interests includes things like dogs, yoga, Buddhism, martial arts, travel and reading. I think about the people who knew me when I was in high school, and how these likely come as a surprise to them. They must think, “Boy has she changed. That’s not the girl I used to know.”
Even reading and travel, things that seem like they’ve always been a part of my life. I didn’t do all that much traveling between the ages of 16 and 19, and not only had I stopped reading for pleasure in high school, I didn’t read very many of the books assigned to me in English class.
Not that there’s anything wrong about having different interests when you’re 32 than when you’re 16, but for weeks I’ve been wondering what the teenage me would have listed as interests. I couldn’t think of any! It was like I didn’t have any interests! I wasn’t into anything.
I liked movies, but who didn’t? Today, finally, I remembered that I was into acting and theatre and such. So I might have listed, “Shakespeare and showtunes.” And you know what? I’m sure those don’t jibe with Rob’s impression of me now.
Kari Neumeyer 