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One of the most insidious fears that some people can have is believing that their best days are behind them. If you zoom out and look at things mathematically, it’s inevitable that some chapters of your life are going to be better than others. Whether in terms of your quality of life or achievements. But that doesn’t mean that it’s all ‘downhill from there.’ Life is still very much worth living, and it’s worth putting in the effort to aim for new goals. Some people, however, cling to past victories, completely ignoring opportunities in the present.

Redditor u/realHDNA sparked an interesting discussion on the r/AskReddit subreddit, about all the things that ‘scream’ that someone peaked all the way back in high school. From bragging about their long-forgotten glory days and making their entire personalities a continuation of who they were as teenagers to bullying others as grownups, these internet users shared some of the saddest things that adults can end up doing. Scroll down for their stories and opinions.

Bored Panda got in touch with Andrea Bonior, Ph.D., with a couple of questions about why some adults miss their school days so much, as well as what can help them realize that their lives can be just as good as (if not better than!) when they were young. Dr. Bonior is the host of the mental health advice podcast ‘Baggage Check’ and the bestselling author of ‘Detox Your Thoughts.’ Read on for her insights!

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#1

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community I had a teacher who said "these are the best years of your lives".

Since I graduated in 2003, every single year has been better than every year of school since I can really remember.

High school was f*****g awful and seriously depressing.

I had to work as a janitor through grades 11 and 12 to pay rent. I dropped out with 1 class left to get a union construction job.

I'm back in university now doing an engineering degree because I have worked to get my life in a position where this is possible.

DeckerR , Pressmaster Report

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Corvus
Corvus
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They are the best years of your life in a purely biological sense - you are young, full of energy, fertile, nothing hurts, etc. But in all other aspects (especially being independent and pursuing your dreams), adult life is superior.

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#2

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community I used to work with a guy, we used to call him roid rage. He was very muscular, very masculine, and let everybody know both those things about him constantly.

One day I'm sitting next to him in the break room and he's talking to me, unprompted as always, about how he went to attend an award ceremony for his son who won something regarding his football performance. I said "Well that was nice of you to go and support him"

"Nice?" He said. "It was f*****g sad man. That used to be me. Now I'm the old guy in the room who has to watch someone else win something I should have had" and all I could think was what a loser, you can't just be happy your son won this award and be proud of him. You have to make it about you.

gamercboy5 , Pressmaster Report

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Ricardo Ferreira
Ricardo Ferreira
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm just glad he told YOU about it, and not his son... or I just hope he didn't tell it to his son.

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#3

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community "It doesn't get better once you grow up" I told a sub teacher at my school that people told me this all the time and she told me the only people that say that are the ones that peaked in highschool. I miss her every day.

HoudaRat , seventyfourimages Report

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Dr. Bonior, the host of the 'Baggage Check' podcast, was kind enough to answer our questions about grownups who might have peaked in high school or constantly miss what their lives were like back then so much. Many of us have at least some regrets from our past, including about opportunities not taken.

"I think as the saying goes, 'youth is wasted on the young.' As we get older we look back at those golden times and perhaps feel like we didn't appreciate them. That we missed an opportunity to make the most of those times, that we didn't realize how easy we had it, that we were free from adult responsibilities, that we had young bodies without aches and pains... it makes us want to go back and revisit those times, because our perspective now is so different," she explained to Bored Panda.

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"Some people also might really be struggling with the fact that they DO feel like they 'peaked' in high school, and they feel like they are not measuring up anymore. And so their self-esteem is struggling because they had an identity as a 'star athlete' or a 'popular kid' or a class president and they haven't ever been able to replace it with anything else that is as potent for their self-image. So they want to go back in time," Bonior noted that, for some individuals, their high school days actually were the best times of their lives, and they yearn for the success they had back then.
#4

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community "Hey Girl! Long time no talk! Hope you and your GORGEOUS family are doing well! You crossed my mind the other day and I realized you would be SO PERFECT to join me in the amazing business opportunity I just started!" emoji emoji emoji emoji emoji emoji!!

clydiebaby , GaudiLab Report

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#5

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community You continue to brag how you scored four touchdowns in a single game while playing for your high school team over 20 years later. And now you sell shoes.

damageddude , vectorfusionart Report

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#6

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community Anyone who bullies other adults as if they were still in High School

pkeit32 , Prostock-studio Report

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Serial pacifist
Serial pacifist
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She probably made the graph and now they are mansplaining to her.

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We were interested in what can help these people realize that they can still have a great life, even outside the schoolyard gates. Dr. Bonior said that what's really important is a reality check.

"Maybe we felt stressed or lonely or that things were tough in high school, even if in retrospect our lives seemed simpler then. So it comes down to being able to make the most of what you have in the moment," she said that we need to take a realistic look at what our lives are like now and what they were back then.

"If you don't think you appreciated your high school life as much as you should have, might you be doing the same thing with your mid-20s life or mid-50s life, all by comparing it to something else? It's you who chooses the path that you will or will not regret in another five or ten years," she gave some excellent advice.

"By thinking about your values and what is most meaningful to you, you can build a life that is more authentic right now because you have learned many things that you didn't yet know in high school. And thank goodness for that!" If you found what Dr. Bonior shared interesting and useful, consider checking out her mental health advice podcast 'Baggage Check' and taking a look at her book, 'Detox Your Thoughts.'

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#7

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community They want to organize high school reunions every 5 years.

Pesto57 , seventyfourimages Report

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#8

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community I’ll probably get hate for this, but as someone who was big in HS and now opposite, seeing all the people that used to be so unkind to me get fat made me realize a lot of people peak in HS and then have babies with all the same people from the same class, and remain in the same dusty old town we grew up in, peaking by having children and sending them to the same schools we went to, and the cycle continues. Move out of your hometown so you don’t peak in HS from karma for picking on the fat person just to get fat yourself 😂

BFundi , Oleksandr Pidvalnyi Report

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#9

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community My ex stepmother constantly bragged about being a cheerleader in high school and winning a beauty walk (in a town of like 500 people). She was still bragging about these the last time I saw her. She was in her mid 40s.

jewelsforfools , imagesourcecurated Report

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What makes people constantly brag about their success from when they were still in school is the realization that the life they have as grownups falls short, quality-wise. Maybe they’re no longer as physically fit as they used to be when they were the star quarterback or the striker for the soccer team. Perhaps they had high hopes of becoming famous, only to end up working a dead-end office job. Or they used to be social butterflies and the most popular kids in their home towns, only to end up as completely average individuals now that they’ve moved out.

Hopes get dashed. Ambitions crumble. Dreams change. Life forces you to adapt to various circumstances after you leave school. You grow to realize that you’re no longer the person you used to be in the 12th grade; nor are you exactly the person you imagined you’d grow up to be. And that’s all right! Living a good life doesn’t mean that things have to be exactly the way they were or what you wanted them to be like when you were a teenager. It all starts with getting the basics right.
#10

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community I grew up in a super small town, so this might not apply to others. But if I had a venn diagram of "peaked in high school" and "never left the hometown" ... it could almost be one circle.

bigguy14433 , Oleksandr Pidvalnyi Report

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Marissa
Marissa
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think this is funny and I'm trying to cover up a mean comment beneath me.

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#11

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community Still acting like a typical "Mean Girl" when they're damn near (or past) 30

cpsg1995 , gpointstudio Report

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#12

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community Bragging about high-school hookups in their thirties

SuvenPan , seventyfourimages Report

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Human beings are social animals—we need others to thrive and survive. So at the core of all the things that make life worth living are the connections we have with others. Having an active social life keeps us active and happy. According to research, they also make us healthier and live longer. Meanwhile, social isolation endangers our health and is around as bad for us as smoking.

It’s easier to form social connections at school because we’re constantly surrounded by people our age, with more or less shared interests. We spend a huge part of our day with them, going to class, eating lunch together, and attending extracurricular activities. There are plenty of opportunities to spend time with others. Going to college or university is similar.

But when we enter the workforce, we suddenly find ourselves pressed for free time, burdened with responsibilities, and dealing with people who might have completely different values, likes, and hobbies. Sure, they might be perfectly nice people, but it’s harder to forge a genuine connection from scratch. As a result, we might yearn for the days when all of our closest friends literally lived next door or a short bike ride away.

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#13

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community "I could have joined the military and run the place but I don't do well with authority so I would have kicked a drill sergeant's a*s on day one and been terminated. Also I have a bad knee."

Uh huh, uh huh, sure.

beepborpimajorp , Pixabay Report

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Telepathetic
Telepathetic
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Drill Sergeants been there done that----he wouldn't have had a Snowballs Chance

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#14

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community Having a "my son can beat up your honor student" bumper sticker.

Animeking1108 , rulenumberone2 Report

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and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sure, sweetie, sure. *cough projecting cough cough* sorry ’bout that I got some b******t stuck in my throat.

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#15

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community a girl my siblings and i went to hs with has put on her cheerleading uniform too many times and posted on fb to show that it still fits. it’s pretty pathetic. we’re in our late 30s/early 40s

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Some other things that help you live your life to the fullest include taking good care of your health. If you get the basics right, you’re much more likely to enjoy the present, and will be much more capable of taking opportunities that come your way. And, let’s face it, it’s a lot more fun to feel energetic than it is to be constantly exhausted, always wishing for Friday (or to time travel to back when you were still in school, so you could do things ‘better this time around’).

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Eat nutritious food, make sure that you move your body, spend time out in nature, have a healthy work/life balance, take breaks from overusing tech. Avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, and eating sugary snacks and fast food for every meal. It’s very simple on paper, but far harder to get right in real life when you’re bombarded with work deadlines, stress at home, and are grasping for motivation. Quality living is a habit that you have to nurture. And it’s never too late to start. Your true glory days might be right in front of you.
#16

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community Still acting as if the “popular” people from high school are still popular in real life.

tightlikespandex , seventyfourimages Report

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#17

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community Cheer moms. I find cheer for young girls incredibly creepy because I don’t want to see your 8 year old in a tiny skirt, a face full of makeup and big hair. I think being on the squad in high school is fine because it’s an extra-curricular. The whole cheer mom cliques screams high school to me and I’m glad my daughter isn’t interested.

TheYankunian , Tima Miroshnichenko Report

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Pheebs
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wtf kind of cheerleading has this person been watching? I did Pop Warner cheer for 5 years, and none of the girls looked like this, even when we hit early teens. Don’t knock cheer because some people treat everything like a beauty pageant.

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#18

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community Talking about your IQ and advanced placement classes when you umm did nothing afterwards. Like being 48 and talking about honors English. That was a minute ago, friend.

kellygreenbean , MargJohnsonVA Report

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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I confess that a lot of these posts, including this one, seem like they deserve understanding rather than scorn. Sometimes 'peaking in high school' is another way of saying that somebody's life has been harder than they expected or were prepared for.

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Many of us feel nostalgic for the good old days, when we were young, full of energy, and had way fewer responsibilities than we do now. Remembering these times can give us the boost that we need to feel more optimistic about the future and to get through any challenges that we face now. However, there is such a thing as too much nostalgia.

Generally speaking, if we’re constantly living in the past, daydreaming about our childhoods, and completely neglecting our responsibilities and ambitions in the present, then there’s a problem. Just because you were a star athlete or a top-performing student a decade or two ago doesn’t mean that the rest of your life is supposed to be a pale shadow in comparison.

Something that can help you get over that kind of funk is to pay more attention to what surrounds you in your daily life. Try to think of all the things you're grateful for. Gratitude helps you hone in on the successes in the here and now. High school was (probably) great—and you’ve got decades and decades in front of you to continue to grow as a person and enjoy life to the fullest.

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#19

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community They keep insisting for the next 30 years that they would have taken state if coach would have put them in the game.

stumpdawg , TonyTheTigersSon Report

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Serial pacifist
Serial pacifist
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I used to be a great football talent, but the lure of hedonism and truck driving was too tempting..."

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#20

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community One guy I knew literally got our school emblem and mascot in a huge "CLASS OF 2010" tattooed on his shoulder.

Empowered_Jackfruit , microgen Report

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#21

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community "I'm an alpha male."

ghallway , kroshka__nastya Report

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Corvus
Corvus
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tell me you have low self-esteem without telling me you have low self-esteem.

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#22

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community I had an abusive boyfriend. One of the things he told me was how disgusting I am because I didn’t have many friends in highschool meanwhile he did. He said he was so popular and deserves someone who was popular too. He said this when he was 26.

PomegranateIcy7369 , Keira Burton Report

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#23

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community My sister is one of these. Most frustrating are these moments.

Her: "You were never good in math."

Me: "I have a degree in Robotics, a very math heavy subject."

Her: "Well, I took a high school math class that earned me college credit, so that is better than what you have."

Me: "You are comparing one high school class against an entire college degree."

Her: "I earned college credit."

Me: "Maybe...at most, three hours. And you would have to find a school that would accept those hours, and you graduated over 20 years ago. What you have is pointless."

Binder_of_chains , davidpereiras Report

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XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦 🇬🇧
XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦 🇬🇧
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's like when the people I grew up with give me that "so sad for you" face when they learn that I went on to be a veterinarian who works with poop and blood, and all the unmentionable horrors that can come out of an animal...and not some "kept" woman who married the crypt keeper and runs a boutique just for funsies...as they all did. My apologies for contriburing to society.

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#24

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community The "popular girls" in my middle school used to tan. Like every f*****g day. Or so it seemed. Apparently one of their parents had a tanning bed and they would all go over there and do nothing but tan. I swear i had like 4-5 chocolate/orange girls in my class. We're talking Swedes here. They stuck out. I haven't seen any of them irl in like 15 years but judging by the few photos I've seen they didn't stop tanning..

.. Every time I see people who overdo tanning or make up or put s**t in their lips i just ... 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

IshTheFace , Ksu&Eli Report

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#25

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community "Hey girl hey! Do you wanna be your own boss babe while working from home?!" and its just a pyramid scheme

Tyler_origami94 , AmnajKhetsamtip Report

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Hawkmoon
Hawkmoon
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had this with a childhood friend who suddenly reconnected with me. I was in college, living with my grandparents to save on commutes. He started telling me about his golden opportunity to make money. I told him to look around. He left. I never saw him again.

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#26

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community Really average looking mums that don't say thanks if you hold a door or something, or they are standing in the middle of a thoroughfare and get confused when people are annoyed at them. Imo they were high school hot so everyone just put up with their s**t. Now father time has played his hand and they don't get treated like royalty everywhere they are awful bitches instead.

This says to me you peaked in high school

RongoNZ , cottonbro studio Report

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#27

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community Still going to every high school football game and sitting in the student section

larryapparently , foremankelly Report

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#28

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community They tattooed their last name across their shoulders

haleyfrostphotograph , From The Heart Tattoo Report

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Firstname Lastname
Firstname Lastname
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At least it's easier to identify dead bodies when they are already labeled

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#29

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community Regularly reposting the same picture of the one notable moment that they had in high school.

MissingDarts , doodiebearz Report

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#30

30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community But all he kept talking about was
Glory days well they'll pass you by
Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye
Glory days, glory days

DumbSerpent , cottonbro studio Report

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John Carr
John Carr
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This came into my mind when I read the name of the article 😄

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