These pictures were taken over a few years in the early 70s. I look back on these years with fond memories. We were young, invincible, and determined to live in the moment with little or no thought of the future. I remember standing on the steps of my high school one day, having a flash of conviction that I would be sorry I was so cavalier with my future, but that thought was quickly dispelled in favor of living in and for the moment. I even remember thinking, “I know I’m going to regret this lifestyle when I’m older, but I don’t care because I’m having too much fun to give it up.” My friends were everything to me at that age. My whole world evolved around hanging out and partying. Now, as I knew years ago, I think back on what could have been if I had applied myself better at work and school. Despite that occasional regret, I have great memories of living in the moment and enjoying every minute. I have this feeling that we squeezed every little bit of life we could have from those short amount of years from 14-17. Things changed when I turned 18 and then joined the Marine Corps at 19. I was on my way to radically different stages of life. Since then, I have had many great life-changing individual experiences, but no 4 years were ever again packed with so much nonstop action as those years were. You can’t compare my 30-34 or 62-66 to my 14-17.
Many of my friends in these pictures do not look back at these years with the positive memories I have. I was lucky enough to have parents who cared about me and allowed me to be free from the pressures of life. It wasn’t until I was well into my 20s that I realized how great they were to me.
