Describe something you learned in high school.
There are a lot of people I know
who say high school was a waste of time…
—and I get it.
For some…
especially artists and musicians…
it never felt like a place
that knew what to do
with a fire inside—
more about obedience…
than imagination…
But for me—
it was different.
Those four years gave me something real…
I had free chorus… music classes…
adding even more
to the years I already lived in—
that’s where it happened—
I discovered my love
for writing…
for literature.
English—
that was probably my favorite…
History came close—
science right behind it…
Math…?
I could do it… sure—
but I never felt it.
I understood it—
just never connected to it.
Sports gave me another kind of education—
one built on sweat…
pressure…
timing…
and skill you had to prove…
The social side though…
I could’ve done without that.
It was the usual divide…
the cool kids…
then everyone else…
—and me…
somewhere in between…
too aware to play along—
But the teachers—
they mattered.
I had real connections there…
My building construction teacher…
he was one of the guys…
Sometimes we’d sneak behind the shed—
smoke a cigarette…
talk about life…
Other days—
we’d all jump him…
wrestle him to the ground…
leave him covered in dirt…
shirt torn up…
He’d walk into the teacher’s lounge
looking like he survived a tornado…
trying to explain what happened…
Man… we loved that guy.
But my English teacher—
she changed everything.
She introduced me to Julius Caesar…
my first taste of Shakespeare…
Lighting a path to more great literature…
And then there was music class—
where I learned something
I still tote today…
The power… of the rest.
Silence—
In music…
what isn’t played…
can speak louder
than what is.
Same with writing… 😎
So yeah…
I gained a lot from that place.
Funny thing—
earlier today…
before I even saw this prompt…
I was listening to the John Mayer Trio…
reading interviews with John…
—and in one of them he said…
“I knew school never did anything for me…
it never made sense…
I knew at 13 what I wanted—
to be a musician.”
And yeah…
I get that too.
But thinking about it…
…
school did do something for him.
…
it showed him
what he refused to let go of.
…
…
And that’s the lesson— 😎
…
…
They love to tell you
Stay inside the lines.But something’s better
On the other side.© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All rights reserved.
`’.,°~
Heart of Loia `'.,°~ 
A wonderfully honest and relatable reflection.
I really appreciate the balance you’ve captured—the contrast between feeling out of place in some aspects of school while still finding genuine purpose and passion in others. The way you describe discovering your love for literature and creativity feels authentic and quietly powerful.
Grounded, reflective, and deeply human—beautifully expressed.
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That’s felt— I didn’t belong to the whole of it… just the pieces that woke something up. 😁 thank you friend.
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Beautifully expressed, Bryan.
The way you captured the contrast between structure and self-discovery especially “the power of the rest” is powerful.
Sometimes school doesn’t shape us by what it gives… but by what it awakens within us. 😎
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Thank you Vijay… appreciate it… well said… and you picked right up on what I was trying to say… 😎
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Good day and how are you all?
Life recycles, in the depths.
A place of forced silence, yet where you found your voice.
You built walls by day, but tore down the teacher, laughing in the dirt – a strange, violent affection.
Yet, it was in the “rest”- the gaps in the music, the unplayed notes—that you found your truth.
That, and the words of a dead Roman.
A paradoxical education: obedience, rebellion, and the power of silence.
It didn’t break you; it only made you quiet enough to hear your own fire.
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