L'chaim!

I'm sitting at the local diner and I notice the group of "kids" (probably 18-20 year olds) at the next table. 9 of them. Their conversation is lighthearted - movies, a recent book, a new program or song they downloaded.
I look at the breakdown and it seems familiar: the cute hottie,the nerdy girl,the sexier brunette,and the in-between girl. The guys are even easier to categorize: the hipster with the BoSox cap,the prep,the cool tattoo dude,the nerdy prep and the awkward casual guy.
Was it that long ago that that was us? I could assign one of my friend's names to each one of these nameless kids. Saturday night...movie night or was dinner the event of the evening? Are they catching up or is this a weekly thing?

They talk about cult favorites like Fight Club, Ghostbusters and others that were new box office releases to me at that age. It's fun to watch. Not only to reminisce but also because at this age I can see and read the signs of social awkwardness - the gaps in conversation, the look around the table to see if it's the right time to start a new thread of conversation. The look around the room to see who is watching you and the loud, "would be obnoxious if they weren't young" laugh that provides much needed validation for the teller of the story or joke.

I smile as I remember good times and also remember the great times I've had with friends recently.

Life is good.