In high school, I was in the National Honor Society.

I don’t remember when you were allowed to join, but I think it was Junior and Senior year – I may be hallucinating this though – it may have started in Sophomore year – but I don’t think so.

You had to be nominated and approved by teachers.

I really didn’t care about it one way or the other.

The thing that made me care was the objection of one of my friends that I got in the first year we could (my Junior year?) and she did not.

She was a straight A student.

I was not.

She was an exemplar of good behavior and politeness.

I was not.

(As you may have guessed, even then, I had a mouth on me.)

She could not, for the life of her, figure out how I got in and she did not.

It was a mystery to me too.

At some point, I finally asked one of my teachers and she told me great words of wisdom –

There’s more to it than good grades.

I was in band – wind ensemble, marching band and pep band (you had to be asked to be in the pep band; plus I was a member of the Bay City Youth Symphony); I did theater and the school’s variety show (and I did the Bay Area Music Foundation shows; and played in the pit for the Junior High’s musicals and Garber HS musicals); and while, not exactly friends, I talked with my teachers about stuff other than school.  I was involved.

I still think she should have gotten in too.

Smart as a whip and really nice (something I have never excelled at – I mean, I’m not horrible, but truly nice is never something I feel I have ever been or am).  An excellent art student.  I know (now) she had a lot of stuff going on in her home life that made it difficult for her to be involved in many extracurricular activities.

It seems unfair to me that I got in and she didn’t.

(Although, at the time, I must admit it I thought it was pretty fucking funny – told you I’m not nice.)

She made it in for her Senior year.

Funny thing – I was looking at the year book and they don’t show me in NHS for the Senior year – I must have missed the photo op (totally normal for me, I hated to have my picture took).

Anyhow, I can honestly say that being in NHS has made no difference in my life one way or the other – so if you are never in it, relax.