Dear Abbi,

I often find myself thinking about High School and how much freer I was back then.  I mean I had some really great times.  I was voted life of the party, and I don’t remember ever really stressing about anything in my life.  I’ve been trying to get back to that place where I’m just a care-free, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda guy. I can’t seem to get back there.  Any thoughts on how I can feel like that again?

Party pooper

Harrisburg, PA

Hi Pooper,

Well, this is a question I actually get asked all the time.  How can I be young and fun and care-free again?  The truth is, is that you will never feel like that again.  You will always have stress and responsibilities and work and relationships and heartaches and financial issues, and children and home repairs and the Law and marriage and divorce and “doing the right thing” and fist fights and un-fun-dinner-parties and assholes in supermarkets and the knowledge that time is going too fast and “do we split the check?” and power outages and sickness and long lines and terrible flights and lots of trash and having to clean up and misunderstandings and boring people and the weather and shoes that hurt and not being able to afford that and Wants and realizing that pennies in fountains are not a guarantee and missing people and aches and pains and really steep stairs and broken glass and when zippers don’t work anymore and doing laundry and not being able to rhyme and trying to cook good food and questioning your dancing ability and being insecure and doctor’s appointments and traffic and people honking and automatic customer service machines and too many coins and wondering if your style is a bit dated and slow walkers and awkward conversations and always wanting more.  You will always have all of these things and more, but, if you want to feel like you felt in high school, then make a point of waking up, everyday and saying, “fuck it”, this day is going to be awesome.  Let’s see what happens.  Because in High School you never thought of the far future and you didn’t care what had happened yesterday. There will always be shit to deal with, but I don’t think we ever change that much-you’re still that guy deep down.  Also smoking a bowl before you leave your apartment never killed anyone.

Best of luck,

Abbi