I look back and I wish.....

Just pondering over my life right now, It was inevitable to think about my teens (read 2 years of college) and early teens (meaning school). I also read an article in the news magazine section about “wise” childhood. I just had a pitstop on the early life and wondered how it would like to be in the teens again- just this time with the benefit of hindsight. Here's my list of things, in no particular order (random), I would keep in mind if in the teens again

Things I wish had known more clearly during my early teens

• The wannabe groups in school were actually not very cool people to hang out with. They would always stupid issues of the third kind.
• No matter how much you diet and how hard you exercise, you will never be that thin again.
• Nothing outside of who I am in God can make me cool.
• 2nd most important decision I would make is, who my friends were.
• People who invest in mutual funds are not losers.
• Eat all the desserts to satisfy your “sweet tooth”. Very soon even a spoonful of chocolate delight would travel straight to add to the paunch.
• If you keep looking at the phone, it would never ring.
• There is a reason why you lose touch with so many school friends. You simply have nothing in common except for the fact that you were once in a class together. Don't feel guilty.
• Don't bother fighting it, eventually you'll turn into your father. By the time a man realizes that his father was right, he'll have a son who thinks that he's wrong.
• A man who doesn't read good books has NO advantage over a man who doesn't read at all.
• You can only really make friends when you are young. After that, you’re stuck with chance acquaintances and work contacts whom you also socialize with.
• Nothing is as important as you think.
• Friends are way more important than lovers – and nearly always outlast them.
• If you want something, don’t be afraid to ask.
• Never throw a party if you will be the most interesting man in the party.
• You can’t change the world – but don’t let it change you either.
• Exercise is something you do to keep fit not to get thin.
• Ultimately, love remains out of necessity.
• Never mistake Knowledge for wisdom, one helps make a living, other helps you ,make a life.

Things I'm glad I knew

• Outdoors sports were as much fun (or more) than the en vogue Video and PC games
• Quizzing is great fun and not a nerdy game
• Succumbing to Peer Pressure is not Manly in any ways...
• Don't try and color your hair to be jazzy, you'll anyways have to do that as a monthly chore soon.
• That I was not a loser reading all the literature that I did during early years.

But Overall, I think what we did in the early teens was out of innocence. It was awesome because thats how we learn and most of our lives we learn the hard way.
I think our teens was the best of both the worlds – conventional, radical and adoption to advancements (socially and technologically). So we played the en vogue PC games listened to the “in” music & read the teen novels yet - loved life, listened to Indian soul music, read classic literature, enjoyed the lap of nature and played outdoors conventionally. As it is I love my life and have NO regrets.

So I look back in glory and just thank everyone for it....