All this reconnecting from high school friends has gotten me thinking. I had no idea in high school that within 3 years, I’d be a father. Or that 19 years later, I’d be a computer tech geek working for one of the most innovative companies in the world (albeit as a relative lowbie in the retail division). Or that I’d be a mediocre (at best) father.

I really thought I had my life figured out at 18. I’d work with my dad at his sign business, one day take it over when he retired, and eventually retire comfortably (not rich, but not wanting, either). Marriage and kids would fit in there somewhere.

I never counted on not being able to work with Dad (we’re too much alike in all the most incompatible ways), I never counted on being a 21-year-old father, and I never counted on diving head-first into the internet age upon getting my first computer in my late twenties.

I always assumed I’d carry my talents with me to my grave; it never occurred to me that I’d not use them for years at a time, and it never occurred to me that I could ever not be creative.

And I suppose the biggest thing I assumed was that nearly 20 years after high school, I’d have things figured out, and I’d be stable and providing well for my family.

That last one’s the one that stings the most.