Class Reunion

have you been to one lately?  in talking with friends, i’ve noticed that these unique get-togethers seem to prompt a range of reactions.  there are those that won’t have anything to do with them.  bad experience in high school.  not interested.  whatever.  there are those who would like to go, but are held back by their fears of how their aging self would be compared with others (this turned out to be so not important!)  there are those that stayed in the area and see the school and the people fairly frequently, so it’s not that big of deal.  then there are those, like me, who have been far away for a very long time and get really excited (not to mention a teeny bit intimidated!) at the thought of being able to reconnect after – gulp – forty years!! (wait a minute – didn’t i just turn 40, like, last week??)

Being silly in junior high

9th grade

High School Junior (still paying the price for that tan!)

in my case, i struggled in junior high.  i had braces and glasses.  i felt awkward.  i didn’t feel that i fit in.  some rough years.   in high school, however, things kind of came together.  i had a lot of friends.  i had dates.  i was in lots of activities. i had decent grades.  in spite of it being a tumultuous time culturally (and i’m sure my brain has filtered some things out) i have nothing but happy memories about the whole experience.

so when i heard that a reunion was being planned, i jumped at the chance to attend.  i reconnected with a few folks beforehand, left my husband at home and dove into the festivities, held on 2 separate nights.  i was not disappointed.  did i recognize everyone?? no way.  did everyone recognize me?? hardly.  but we had name tags and weren’t afraid to check them out.  there were lots of squeals of delight upon discovering a long lost friend and plenty of laughs while revisiting some of the colorful stories of our youth. beyond the aging exteriors, it was just incredible the way the personality, the voice, the mannerisms of each person had not changed much at all and we were instantly connected with someone we knew and remembered well!   i didn’t get to speak to everyone, but it became a quantity vs. quality decision and i tried to play the middle of the road.

one of the things that struck me was the large number of folks who had stayed in the area.  they planted their own roots, went on to have families and jobs and  happy and stable lives. others had left and subsequently returned.   i, on the other hand, knew from a fairly early age that i would be leaving.  the ties of family and church are very strong in this community and, while it wasn’t easy, i just knew i had to go.  i still don’t fully understand why, but i have been thinking about this a lot lately.  i’m sure there are those who stayed and wish they would have left.  but there may also be those who left and wish they would have stayed.  it was the right choice for me, but i can definitely see both sides of the coin.

Posing with pals

anyway, i really feel that, after all this time, this was a once-in-lifetime event for me.  i do hope we do it again.  that would be another great time, but it won’t be like this one.   i know i've said this before.... sweet, sweet memories.

Good friends reunited