When I was growing up, the "cool kids" hung out late, disrespected authority in numerous minor ways, and smoked cigarettes. My parents didn't raise me that way. So, even though I was picked on pretty good as a HSer, I didn't exactly aspire to be "cool." (What I aspired to do was to get into some hot girl's pants, but that wasn't happening.)
Now, there's people who look up to
me at work and at the day care (of my daughter). Why, I haven't the slightest. I just go on going on and I'm not really that concerned about images. Come to think of it, I
like being who I am. I'm glad that there's only one of me, though. If there were clones of me, I'd have to hunt them down and kill them--I don't like competition.