By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer
I miss the good old days, but man, don’t we all? Like everyone else, I often think back to my times in high school with my childhood friends, and I sometimes get hit with a wave of sadness — not because they were bad times, quite the opposite, but because I know those days are behind me. It’s been nearly three years since I graduated high school, and who knows how long since my friends and I were all together at the same time. That being said, I know that no matter how much we stay in touch, those are my brothers for life.
Back home in San Antonio, there were about 10 of us in my friend group; we were called “The Boys,” and we basically lived together. Over the summer of 2018, there wasn’t a single day where we didn’t get together and do stupid high school things until the sun came up. It was like this until we graduated, when over half of us joined the military and have barely been home.
We all get those Snapchat memories that pop up and make us feel some type of way. I get like that most when I see my boys. I like to think of a scene from “The Office,” where the show is coming to a close and Andy Bernard speaks on how he’s feeling and delivers one of my favorite lines.
“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good ol’ days before you’ve actually left them,” Andy Bernard said.
I know this line can hit home for a lot of us, but I want to reassure you that those friendships are not gone. If the friendship was good enough to make you reminisce and get nostalgic, it will take more than distance to break. We try our best to stay in touch — random texts and FaceTime calls to check in — and we know it isn’t the same as it used to be, but that doesn’t change the fact that I see those guys as my brothers.
Sometimes, life gets the better of us and we get too busy or too stressed to keep up with friends who are hundreds of miles away. I encourage you not to stress too hard about it. You and your friends should both know that the love is still there.
Most importantly, I think we all need to work on living in the moment. Stop comparing today to the times we had in high school, and realize our best days are still ahead of us. I know for a fact my friends and I have our biggest moments ahead of us, and we are all going to be there for each other when those times come. Life is what you make of it. Go into every day like it is the best day of your life, and the “good ol’ days” can be every day.
