I have this reoccurring dream that its present day (I’m 44 years-old) and I never got my high school diploma. I missed several classes and repeatedly told myself to just forget about this piece of paper that can’t affect my life at this point anyway.
For some reason, my teenage schoolmates don’t see me as old and encouraged me to go to class. After taking several innocuous criticisms from my teachers, I decide to leave with my tail between my legs.
By the way, I do have my high school diploma. I also have a theory as to why this dream keeps coming back to haunt me.
In high school, I was a very bad student during my junior year. I ditched a lot and did poorly in math and science.
In the first semester of my senior year, my guidance counselor had a meeting with me and my mother. Prior to the meeting, I made my mother promise to stay silent. Reluctantly, she agreed.
My counselor said, I will not be graduating. The only way I could get a diploma was either repeating my senior year or go to adult night school. All this, was of course, my fault and I knew it. I asked if there was anything that could be done. Her words stay with me to this day, given the type of student you are, no.
My mother exited the office in horrible shame. I went to my Spanish class (easy A) and then I had a panic attack. I was crying and hyperventilating. My mind and heart were racing like NASCAR! I was in the nurse’s station for a couple of hours.
After some time alone to think, I went back to the counselor’s office. Actually, I barged in. I asked her how many credits did I need to graduate. She flippantly said, too many for you to make up. I told her that I didn’t care how long my days would be in order to get those credits. I was going to graduate with my friends.
She said, okay with no confidence in her voice. We proceeded to plot out a course. I ending up taking an obscene number of classes. I passed all of them and got to graduate on time.
My mother was proud of me for not letting the counselor dictate my future. Had my mother not promised to stay quiet, she would have cussed her out and my mother doesn’t cuss … ever. Is this trying episode in my life the reason for these strange dreams? I don’t know, but I’m sure it probably has something to do with it.
coconutspeak 