As I walked through the sports complex today, I noticed a group of teenagers -- probably fifteen, sixteen years old -- sitting on the steps by the main entrance. They all had wet hair, so I assume they'd been in the pool...swim team practice or something. Anwyay, they were laughing and talking, and a few of them were flirting and/or holding hands. They were waiting for their parents to pick them up, I suppose, or they were just hanging out before driving themselves home to eat dinner with the family and do their homework. Something like that.

It made me think about all of the times that I did that. Waiting for rides after debate tournaments, hanging out after school waiting for the parking lot to clear...I spent a lot of time sitting around in a big group just waiting to go home. I don't think I've ever thought about it until today, but when I saw those kids I instantly remembered what waiting for a ride felt like. Those fifteen minutes of sitting at the lunch table waiting, or sitting in a booth at Taco John's waiting, were - on many occasions - the best fifteen minutes of the day. Maybe that says something about how pathetic my life was, but maybe it doesn't.

Waiting for a ride was always pretty intense, in an understated sort of way. It was a big rush to cram in a day's worth of gossiping or holding hands or teasing one another or - most often - a combination of all those things. We had a lot of fun doing absolutely nothing, and...it was great. I'm fairly certain that I didn't ever step outside of it and say, "Wow. I love loitering. That's the best!" We never appreciate what we have while we have it. I'm learning.

Simple things. That's what I miss the most, sometimes. There aren't any simple things anymore. None. Never again.