i met an old highschool colleague of mine...

May we all find the courage to become the person we were always meant to be.

There are moments in life that sneak up on you—small, seemingly insignificant moments that leave you lost in thought long after they pass. I had one of those moments the other day when I ran into an old high school colleague.

It was one of those encounters where time slows down for just a second before reality sets in. We hadn’t seen each other in years, but there was a familiarity in our smiles, in the way we said each other’s names. We were once part of the same world—hallways filled with laughter, late-night cram sessions, and dreams that seemed so certain back then.

We sat down for coffee, catching up on life. I told them about how I was juggling work and studies, trying to carve out a future for myself while battling exhaustion. They nodded, understanding all too well. They, too, were navigating adulthood, a life far different from what we had imagined.

Back in high school, we thought we had it all figured out. We dreamed of success, of adventure, of chasing passions without hesitation. We thought by now, we’d have reached our goals, built the lives we envisioned. But instead, we found ourselves caught in the in-between—no longer kids, not yet the accomplished adults we once aspired to be.

But as we sat there, reminiscing, we also found comfort in the fact that neither of us was alone in this uncertainty. We were both still searching, still growing, still figuring it all out. And maybe that was okay.

Before we parted ways, we promised that the next time we met, we would be closer to the people we always wanted to become. It was a hopeful thought—that someday, we’d look back at this phase of our lives with the same nostalgia, knowing that we made it through.