Traits I Admired in My High School Friends and Where They Are Now

Rose colored glasses? Perhaps. There was probably a ton of drama and many traits I didn't like about these old buddies. But looking back now, all I can think of is their overall personalities and the good things stick out way more prominently. Hopefully, they still have some fond memories of me, but for some reason I doubt it; I could be a bit of a tool. Anyway, this is "part one." I have a couple more friends with some redeeming qualities that I'd like to mention eventually.

The trait I admire most about my friend Jon was that he was a trustworthy person. He was the guy you could confide in and you felt like he wouldn't blab to everyone. While listening, he'd share some of his own secrets. We all thought he'd make a great used car salesman. It's not his ability to keep a secret that I admire, it's the ability to instill those feelings of trust in other people. He currently works for a huge bank and is pursuing an MBA.

Al was very intelligent. The running gag was that he was studying for his SATs since he was in 5th grade. I admire not just his level of intelligence but his will to pursue it. I got rather unfocused through high school and college and I believe echos of that still cause ripples in my current life. It wasn't until I met my wife that I got my shit together. At any rate, I noticed his name on the service tickets at the first job I got out of college but it turned out he left a year or so earlier. I have no clue where he is today, but I hope he lived up to his NASA JPL-like potential.

What I admire most of my friend Mike was his outgoing personality and ability to have fun. He was the guy in the group who would make new friends and introduce us to new people to hang out with. Mike liked his recreational pharmaceuticals but gave them up when he left school and turned out fine. He does very well at a creative ad agency.

I'll always admire the sense of humor my friend Brian has. We shared a lot of inside jokes throughout high school. When he was a baby, a rabbit bit the tip of his finger off. He wasn't immensely popular so he didn't really want to hang out with some of the other people I hung out with but we shared a ton of classes together. Just recently, I caught up with him on facebook and it turns out that he is in school to become a veterinarian. I laughed when I saw a picture of his girlfriend holding a rabbit and his comment said "he looks nice so your fingers should be safe."

My buddy Ryan, even though he was a follower, he was always a very happy person. He did what he liked and enjoyed it. Particularly, he loved fishing, chocolate milk, MTv, and fireworks. His father would regularly bring home fireworks from somewhere for him to play with. What I admire most about him is his unflagging happiness. Even after under going massive corrective surgery on his spinal chord, he was always smiling. One of the first few times I hung out with him, he was in a lot of pain but he was just sitting on his couch in his back brace, watching music videos and drinking chocolate milk. Unfortunately, Ryan passed away at 24 years old after being injured in a car accident. I admire his ability to always be happy despite being in life-altering pain.