"Wow, you look like you are still in High School!"

Visited an old high school friend this week that I hadn't seen in many years (we couldn't determine the last time we actually saw each other). I opened the door to meet them and the first phrase I hear is the title of this post...

At age 27, I have no idea how to interpret this. Is it an insult? Compliment? Am I stuck in a time warp?

I know it was said in good fun, and secretly I cherish it as an acknowledgment to my success in my health goals. My friend missed the lazy years where I ballooned up by 40 pounds and sported an unshaven beard. One week after I graduated high school I grew a goatee (so people would stop thinking I was in high school) and only on 3 short occasions in the past 9 years did I shave it off.

I recently shaved off my goatee ("hello chin, long time no see") and kept clean-shaven as part of the "new me" resolutions I made when I began this journey. So to have a friend who had not seen me since high school exclaim that I looked exactly the same when for 99.9% of the 9 years I looked completely different means I must be doing something 'right'.

Or is that 'wrong'? Is the new me just a repeat of the 17 year old me? I mean, that phrase is better than them saying "you looked like you ate Paul Bunyan", right?

The next goal will be to have someone say "you look like our high school quarterback!" instead of me still resembling a 17 year old, 135 lb band nerd... :)