What would 17yo you think about you now?

Thanks to Seth for the idea.... what WOULD 17 year old you think about your current choices in life? Music/cars/life in general choices?

Me? Mine would be ecstatic. Sure, he'd be scratching his head asking what a Hayoonday was, but he'd be pleased that I still like metal, still love cars and found a better place to play than the street. He'd also be proud of the garage and motorcycle. 

Same here.

Hot wife, good kids, good tech job, and a garage full of toys.  Don't think 17yo me would ask for more.

Damn.  I need to be more thankful for what I got.

Pretty stoked over all. Although he might be surprised about the girl he ends up marrying.

NEALSMO said:

 

Damn.  I need to be more thankful for what I got.

Ditto.

He woulda expected to have a bit more income and a bit more leisure time.  He always knew he was going to live in a foreign country, but sure as E36 M3 did not count Canada as a foreign country.  He  would be surprised that we went ahead and deliberately or at least willingly,replicated.  More so that parenting turned out great. I think 17 year old me knew that the law degree was not what we really wanted, ( see filthy lucre clause before)  and that  I made the right move when I went back for engineering.  All I can say is that it was all his fault that we got where I are now.

Car-wise, he would be pretty much on target with what we have done and where we are going.

Pete

Well...first, 17 year old me would say "You're still alive??  How the hell did that happen?"

After that shock wore off, 17 year old me would not recognize mid-life me and would probably think it was a practical joke.  At that age, I was pretty much at the peak of my rebellion.  Long hair, metal band t-shirt, party animal, making some "questionable" choices, failing school.  I got kicked out of my house at 19.  Now, I'm as straight as an arrow, married, family guy, stable and thriving career, life devoted to my wife and kids, etc...

He would be happy we have our pilot's license. Flying is all we ever wanted to do.

3 words. About berkeleying time. 

"Damn, you got old and fat"

He would wonder who the hell I was, and where my long hair went. 

He would wonder why I was no longer in theatre, and how I got to be a car guy. 

He'd wonder how I turned out to be my Dad, and would still think Dad (and I) are kinda dumb. 

He'd be wrong. My Dad is a great guy. 

17 yo me is not someone I'd like to be again. 

I think 17 year old me expected 46 year old me to be a lot richer and be a lot more "figured out". 46 year old me would certainly benefit from being able to send a letter to 17 year old me.

He'd be just as depressed and miserable as I am for how things have turned out. 

I'm only (?!) 11 years removed from 17 year old me, but I don't really remember him.  I like to imagine that he'd be blown away by the shop, how I still like awesome music, the rally car, the motorcycles, the things that I've designed or built, trips taken, cars owned, absurd repairs made... but I'm pretty sure he'd be disappointed that I'm not a pro race car driver or running a car company or going to space.  I don't think that 17 year old me was a particularly realistic dude.

I think he'd be pretty pleased. Engineering degree, house, garage, few toys to put in said garage, beautiful, smart girl and a dog to come home to every night, still headbanging to metal, haven't gotten fat yet...I guess I turned out OK. 

17 YO me would be thoroughly disappointed in 64 YO me.  

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

Only 10 years for me. Feels like both yesterday and an eternity, all at the same time.

He'd see a lot of the same hobbies, but changed around. The career isn't what he had figured, but it's pretty darn plausible. 

He'd be surprised that I wasn't as social as I used to be. And the Colorado address would be a big surprise for sure. 

17 year old me and I would get along great. He'd be annoyed that I'm slightly flabby, and be confused as to why I'm not monetarily wealthy given my wife and i's combined income (I remember thinking that at 6 figures, you're rolling in dough), but other than that he'd be thrilled. Of course, that's only 11 years ago. 

But 17 year old me desperately wanted a Miata (I'm on my second), loved hockey (I still play and ref) and would be drooling over my guitar collection. Oh, and he'd think my wife is pretty awesome. Which is good, cause I do too. 

In reply to Furious_E :

It feels like a VERY long time to me, but that doesn't help me wrap my head around the fact that I'm this old already.  My memories only seem to last 5 years or so before seriously fading, which might have something to do with it.

17 yo me was convinced that I would be dead by the time I was 30, and would be shocked that I'm still alive closing in on 48.

Music... I liked a lot of different stuff when I was 17, so that hasn't really changed.

He'd be wide-eyed at my guitar and car collection, although he would wonder why I don't have a '69 Charger.  And then he would pissed that 20 yo me didn't buy the one I test drove... 

He would be very happy with my salary... until I told him what that salary is equal to in 1987 dollars (unless you want to be depressed, do NOT do that calculation!).

He would be happy I live in a paid-off house and have zero debt.

He would be sad I've had zero contact with my father in the past 10 years.

I still have one of the cars that 17 year old me had, though he drove it a lot more than I do.

I was skyping with my mom last night, and she asked me about my garage/cars. I (since you can see yourself too when you skype) noticed that I suddenly had a big E36 M3 eating grin I couldn't wipe off of my face. She said she has gotten that grin every time she has ever asked me about cars, since waaay before I was 17.

So I guess I'm doing that part right.

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

I'm 16 years removed. All I can think is "God I was an shiny happy person I was at 17."  17 year old me would be disappointed of becoming an A&P instead of an engineer until I told him the stories about the cool E36 M3 and places we visited in our 20s. After I slapped some sense into him to reinforce the fact that the Kelly Johnsons' of the world don't exist anymore and tell him to get a wider world view.

He'd probably disapprove of my current career move though and wonder what the hell was wrong with me finding out I have children.

I work for a car magazine---- that's all it would take to make the 17 year old me ecstatic!   Sure he'd be a bit disappointed that I didn't marry Stephanie Seymour, or Kathy Ireland, and that I haven't become  wealthy---- but cars!   I get to work with cars and car people all day---- that would have been more than enough for that simple minded, rebellious nitwit!  

17 year old me wouldn't care. At all. 

If he's lucky he makes the exact same choices I made and ends up in the exact same place. Because 50 yo me is happy just where he is. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

In reply to Furious_E :

It feels like a VERY long time to me, but that doesn't help me wrap my head around the fact that I'm this old already.  My memories only seem to last 5 years or so before seriously fading, which might have something to do with it.

Better put, I feel very far removed from 17, but the time has passed extremely quickly.