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Observing people will always be more entertaining to me than anything that TV could possibly provide.



Recently I rediscovered two people. I had not seen either of them in many years. While I could not have guessed what these people would have made of themselves, it was not surprising when I found out.



Steve was a childhood friend of mine. I only briefly on one occasion since high school, and not again for the years since then. Steve calls me one night, and as it turns out we only live a few miles apart. So we agree to have a few beers and catch up on things.



I walked into the bar not knowing how to identify the man that used to be a boy I knew. That turned out to not be a problem. As I learned that night, people do not change much, even physically. We recognized each other almost instantly.



We talked and laughed about the things that used to be. We drank cheap beer. We shared stories with a few other patrons that were bored enough to listen. He is still the guy I knew growing up, he looks the same, he talks the same, he uses the same mannerisms. While he chain smoked his way through a pack, Steve told me about his stint in prison. He spent a few years locked up, and was released about a year ago. This did not surprise me. Somehow it seemed to suit the kid I knew years ago.



There was a second person that I recently ran across. Her name is Renee, and I have not seen her in more years than Steve. It was eighth grade, and I had huge crush on her. We went to different high schools, and that was the end of that. At least until I "found" her on the internet. It seems Renee has made a name for herself as an X-Sports gal. She retired from competition a couple of years ago, but her name is still plastered all over this particular sport.



At first I doubted it was the same person. After reading a biography, all doubt was gone. She had gone to college, then fell into a free spirit life style that has let here travel the western hemisphere and do what she loves. Once again, this did not surprise me in the least.



Why is it that we see ourselves as some dynamic personality, some constantly morphing entity, when in fact few of us (if any) actually change very much at all?