All names used in this article are made up and any similarities to real people’s names are entirely coincidental
Hey Bros. Today I ran into an old archnemisis of mine, Stan Sikorsky. Back in high school me and Stan hated each other. We never acknowledged it to each other’s faces, but it was obvious. I always got dirty looks from him and I can personally attest to all the shit talk I did behind his back. I called him a faggot, a cheater, a fake. I didn’t see any way me and Stan could ever be friends because he was a gay cheating piece of shit and I was not.
This morning, however, high on the buzz from winning my first ever 5K race, I noticed Stan and his mom about 20 feet to my left, grabbing food and drinks. I hadn’t seen Stan since high school. I knew what I had to do.
I walked over to Stan and tapped his right shoulder. I said hi and looked him in the eye. He didn’t recognize me and my full beard since I didn’t have any facial hair in high school. Stan looked different too. His hair was longer and wavier now and his ears were pierced. He looked happy. It was clear to me that college changed both of us.
I told Stan who I was and the first thing he said was, “Wow, you’ve changed.” Glad you noticed that Stan. I told Stan it was good to see him and, as confidently as I could, added “Sorry we were such enemies back in high school.” He told me not to worry about it and said things were never even that bad between us. I tend to disagree, but then again it’s not like we ever fought each other or even acknowledged our distaste face to face. So I guess he was right. Anyways, it felt good making peace with an old enemy of mine.
The truth is, I stopped viewing Stan as my enemy long ago after realizing that we weren’t so different after all. All those things I hated about him back in high school, I’d came to appreciate after experiencing them within myself. I’ve felt like a faggot, a cheater, and a fake. Back in high school I hadn’t yet, but now I have, and now I see things differently. On top of that, I had added Stan on Instagram awhile back and that had given me the opportunity to see his artistic side.
Learn to love your enemy. Ender Wiggin preached this, and it’s the truth. Once you find a piece of yourself within your enemy, differences can be overcame and wounds can be healed.
The Bro Page 