high school friends

I had dinner with Kristina tonight. We went to Santana Row, and she saw Dena Wang working in a restaurant and I spotted a girl I knew in elementary school. Why I bother to mention that may or may not become clear as I go on. Afterwards we drove through downtown San Jose--and Kristina was driving! After all those times I drove us to dances--what a role reversal. It was nicely strange to be taking in familiar sights in an unfamiliar setting. Talking about college, careers and jobs (and reality television and cheesy movies) with my high school friends has been so easy and natural to do, and I think it's not because our friendships have remained the same but because they've evolved in a way that complements the changes in our individual lives. In high school we became friends because of the things we had in common, which is always true in high school but even more so at a small one like Notre Dame. We were in all the same classes, we liked doing the same things, we enjoyed similar conversations (and we all knew Richard--though who didn't?). I felt lucky to have found a group of people whose qualities and interests aligned with mine. Now I'm amazed at how diverse we are. From a small group of people comes such a wide range of paths and ambitions--architecture, marine biology, psychology, academia, medicine, art/graphic design, law. It's a lot like driving together by the Tech Museum, Il Fornaio, the art museum, Notre Dame, and Johnny Rocket's in downtown--things we all still remember and appreciate--but now with Kristina in the driver's seat and me in the passenger's. The things that brought us together in the first place persist, but we're not in the same places anymore. It's nice to be able to feel that there is a still core experience that we share, and that the fact that this experience occurs in different locations and contexts for each person doesn't detract from our friendships but makes them stronger.

And to know that I can always count on Kristina to make me weepy and corny, when I'm not already.