Yesterday, I accidentally stumbled upon a YouTube playlist filled with Indonesian songs from the early 2000s.
At first, I thought I'd listen to just one song.
An hour later... I was still there.
One familiar melody after another kept pulling me deeper into memories I hadn't visited for years.
As I scrolled through the comment section, I noticed many people saying the same thing:
"The songs from my junior and senior high school days... I can't believe that was over 20 years ago 😢. I wish I could go back to that time ❤."
"Masha Allah 🥰 Even with three kids, I still feels like a teenager 🤣"
"I can't believe it's been more than twenty years."
That's when it hit me.
More than two decades have passed.
Without realizing it, the teenagers who once wore white-and-blue junior high uniforms and white-and-gray high school uniforms have become adults with jobs, families, responsibilities, and endless schedules.
And somehow... I'm one of them.
Back then, life felt incredibly simple.
It was the age of puppy love.
The age when merely seeing your crush walking down the hallway could make your heart race for the rest of the day.
You'd become awkward whenever they looked at you.
When they were far away, you wished they were closer.
And when they were finally near...
...you suddenly forgot how to speak.
Those innocent feelings seemed like the biggest problems in the world.
Looking back now, they feel beautifully insignificant.
Teenage years were also when emotions ran wild.
Everything felt bigger than it really was.
The excitement.
The anger.
The heartbreak.
The happiness.
Looking back, I realize much of it was probably fueled by hormones, but at the time, every emotion felt completely real.
I wasn't exactly a model student either.
I got into fights with classmates.
I even joined a fight between rival schools once.
There was a classmate I couldn't stand because he constantly annoyed me.
Funny enough...
Years later, he became one of my closest friends.
Life has an incredible sense of humor.
Today we rarely talk because we're both busy with our own lives, but every time we meet, it feels as though no time has passed at all.
Among all my school years, junior high remains the most unforgettable.
I studied at one of Denpasar's favorite junior high schools.
Our class had quite a reputation.
We were probably the loudest class in the entire school.
Teachers often complained about us.
We loved making noise.
We loved causing little bits of chaos.
But here's the surprising part.
We were also one of the most accomplished classes.
Many of my classmates excelled academically.
Others brought home trophies in sports.
Some dominated art competitions.
Whenever the school joined competitions, chances were someone from our class would be representing it.
Looking back, it's funny how a classroom that seemed completely out of control also produced so many talented students.
Maybe chaos and creativity have always lived side by side.
Listening to those old songs made me realize something.
Music doesn't simply remind us of the past.
It preserves versions of ourselves that no longer exist.
The insecure teenager.
The boy experiencing his first love.
The stubborn student.
The reckless friend.
The kid who thought adulthood would be easy.
They're all still there...
Hidden somewhere inside melodies we haven't heard for years.
And perhaps that's why nostalgia feels so powerful.
It isn't really about missing the past.
It's about briefly meeting the younger version of ourselves again.
For just a few minutes...
before the song ends.
What song instantly takes you back to your teenage years? I'd love to know the soundtrack of your youth. 🎵
Image: Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels
