I have not really had any time in my life that was only positive with no negatives tinging the memory, but I suppose that’s not the point. I definitely have some time periods I look back on fondly.
At the very, very beginning of high school, I was really happily surprised when some of the older kids accepted me as a friend. I loved being a “band geek” and felt like I had found a “place” for myself in the social order at school. I also began to genuinely like myself and have some confidence for the first time since puberty. I was over the moon with happiness for a few months. Then I got sick for the first time shortly thereafter and absolutely everything got jumbled and strange. My memories of that first sickness aren’t negative, though, as I didn’t understand yet that it was going to be a chronic problem and I was pleased with all the attention and support I got during my illness, and after I recovered there was another happy time where I appreciated all the small things due to what I’d just been through. But after freshman year, the rest of high school was pretty rough.
I went to college for 2 months when I was 18, got sick, dropped out, had surgery for 15 months, went back. That return was another very sweet time in my life. It felt so good to get a move-on with my life after 15 months of living at home, and I was so proud that I transitioned back to college successfully after the epic failure that was my first 2-month stint. I was basically high as shit on that feeling for 2 straight years; that’s a level of happiness I have not been able to attain at any point since. I participated in a comedy group during those years, and I look back really fondly on some of the antics that went down in that group. That time period is marred by the bad relationship I was in at the time with one of the men from the comedy group, but that mistake doesn’t ruin the memories.
At the tail-end of my 2-year high in college came a time period in my life where everything was truly wonderful for 2 months. This was my school trip to Acadia national park; I and 15 of my classmates lived just outside the park for a summer and did work for them. What a beautiful time that was. Complete inner and outer peace. The only sadness was that it was time-boxed to 2 months.
Thanks for letting me ramble and reminisce, GQ.