The Impact We Make

(I wrote this in  2008 on MySpace.)


There was a girl I was friends with in high school, a girl I enjoyed talking with a lot. We often had many good conversations, but I always regretted that we didn't get to talk more, because more conversation, and getting to know one another better, is always better. Right? Of course. 

After high school we lost touch, sadly. I thought about her over the years, wondering what her life was like, and wondering why I hadn't done more to maintain our friendship past high school. 

Recently I looked up my graduating class in the MySpace search, to see what some of my old peeps are up to, whomever of them actually had MySpace pages. I found the page of the girl I had lost touch with, and read it with interest. I did not, however, make the choice to contact her. To be honest, I was not happy with where my life was at the time, and I did not want to have to face the inevitable question anyone who hadn't seen me in over 20 years was bound to ask, "So how's yer life doing?"



We often wonder about our past, and whether or not we made enough, if any, impact on the people we knew. That is what life is about, in many ways, impacting those we come in contact with. If we haven't done so, if we haven't left an impact on those in our past, then what have we left behind? What legacy have we left in the memories of those who knew us?


I have been feeling somewhat inspired lately, and a bit more confident in myself and what I give to others. I guess you might say that creating Inspireshine, blogging my messages, and receiving the feedback that I have, have boosted my confidence somewhat. So, last night I thought about sending that girl, now a woman, a message through MySpace. I wasn't even sure if she would remember me. Or care to be in touch with me again, even. I had a thought in my mind that she might think to herself, I've moved on in my life past school, and have little interest in being in touch with this guy I knew in school 22 years ago. What does he have to offer me now, in terms of friendship, when we haven't seen each other in 22 years?


Yes, that's how little confidence I had in having touched her when we were friends.
So I sent her the following message:
"Anita, Anita *****, perhaps?
 I wonder, could it be...
is it she...
and does she remember me?
Greetings from a school long, long ago..." ~Ron *****
Her reply:
"Oh My God!

"Of course I remember you! How are you?? And how in the world did you find me on here? Write back soon!"


We wrote back and forth a few times, and she wrote the following, after seeing pics of my Lego Star Wars city, and my interest in Star Wars:  
"STAR WARS ROCKS- The Senate would be very proud of your Lego model. That’s freaking sweet! Glad to see your personality hasnt changed much since high school.. I’m going to drop you an email to catch you up!"


Then we got a hold of each other on instant messenger, and chatted all night until literally 6:38AM! Likewise, we're chatting again right now. And silly me, not thinking I had had a big enough impact on her life to remember me 22 years later. Sheesh! And now, I can't tell you how happy I am that I reached out to her, and that our friendship is so strongly renewed.



There is more to us, and more that others gain from us, than we sometimes realize.