In January of 1986,

I was a high school freshman. Technically, I was still in jr. high since the Arlington School District used to put grades 7-9 in middle school and then 3 years of high school. I graduated from Sam Houston High School, home of the fighting Texans! But in 86′, that was all messy early teenage angst and the year we transitioned from jr. high dweebs to legit high school sophomores. 1986. I had already forged a few incredible friendships back then that continue today.

That summer was also my first “summer of love.” I rode my bike across town everyday to see my girlfriend and first true love, Jasmine. We spent long days out by the pool and nights catching movies at the Forum 303 mall. The world didn’t matter. The total downers of life were only in existence an hour or two a day. The rest was all teenage paradise.

We had the most excellent music and totally awesome movies, like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

1986 was also a year that I found myself determined to minimize my time wasted in the drab and mind numbing classes of school. I could do so much better educating myself by being out there, you know, in the real world. I got a job. I started driving. I started living the most adult life a fifteen year old boy could live. Ironically, it all really started after I saw the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off that summer. I wanted to be as resourceful and in the moment as Ferris was.

1986 was a significant year for me. It was a time I became fully self aware and a year I experienced life at a higher level. I was making decisions and learning what it meant to be an adult. I didn’t mind the hard work. I was having an incredible time morphing into something more than just another pimple faced high school student. I was in command.

Now that I am diagnosed and in treatment for depression, since December of 2017, I also see lifelong patterns and recognize certain major events or times in my life where my depression was acting quietly, within me, insidiously, and quite destructively. Turns out, 1986 was a year that at least a part of me recognized something wasn’t right. But back then I was too young, too fast, too smart for it to take hold. I got good moving through life at warp speed, keeping so busy, nothing could catch me. Not even those demons I would occasionally see in my rearview.

My youngest children are of the same age I was in 1986. My oh my how things are different. Don’t for one minute think this new generation has it easy compared to the latch-key generation. Maybe they don’t know how to burn a CD but the pressures they deal with because of social media, the constant threat of an active shooter, and well, the world we are leaving them are far greater and more real than the cold war era threats, gang issues, and figuring shit out on our own kinda problems we dealt with.

I picked up my youngest daughter, Leia from school early today. She was feeling awful with stomach issues. She has Celiac disease so this is a common issue for her.

Nevertheless, I thought it might be fun to play some of the Ferris Bueller soundtrack as I was picking her up. We made the movie required viewing for all our kids. It got a smile. I remember my principal would occasionally, when many people starting missing school for the flu or strep, let it be known that we were not having a schoolwide Ferris Bueller day off. I guess once the flu started to spread, many of us, I mean many people from my school would take advantage and fake the symptoms to get a day off. Leia wasn’t faking today. But, I can’t say I blame her if she does opt for the free pass every once in awhile.

By the way, for all you Stranger Things fans, Will and his crew are all expected to graduate in 1989. That was me. They represent our awkward and totally awesome class of misfits and malcontents. Thank you for that.

So, today’s #TBT is actually the whole Ferris Bueller’s Day Off soundtrack from 1986. Link to the Spotify playlist is below. It goes out to the friends who helped me become a better person back then and still help me today. Our own little Breakfast Club. But that is a soundtrack for another Thursday.

It also goes out to all 4 of my kids as they make lifelong friends and figure out their way in this crazy upside-down, fast-spinning ball of confusion. The paved path is fine. But the alternatives are so much more fun. This generation seems to have that concept hard wired. And, that’s a good thing!

Be love. Be kind. We are all connected.

Life is better with a soundtrack…

and the occasional “mental health” day off. So if you take one, don’t sit at home and binge watch The Office. Get up! Get out! Ask yourself, what would Ferris do? And spread a little kindness around while you are at it.

So to all my friends, especially the ones who would occasionally miss class with me to head to the waffle house, or fly to another state with me, I love you. I have nothing but gratitude. Danke Shoën!

#kindness #purposefulkindness #drivingawaydepression #WhatAWonderfulWorld #hope #peace #joy #love #streetlights #grace #TheKindnessClub #lifeisbetterwithasoundtrack #weareallconnected #findingjoy
#AllMyEmptySpaces
#tbt #saveferris #FerrisBueller #Cameron #dankeshoën #FerrisBuellersDayOff #GenX