There's something kind of cool about keeping in touch with the people you grew up with. We come from the same time, a similar upbringing, and we have shared memories. These are the people who signed our yearbooks, who performed silly dances for extra credit in Mr. Clark's class, the people who hung out at neutral zone and played mini-golf at FunPlex. These are the people who lived through the Columbine shootings. The people who hung out in Taco Bell's parking lot.
While these times are behind us, they are still with us.
In the weeks leading up to the event, I enjoyed asking my friends about their high school reunions. It's an interesting subject. Was it all that it was cracked up to be? Did anybody surprise you? Did you see any old flames? Did you skip it?
With the advent of Facebook and digital cameras (two inventions I've seen in this lifetime), it's possible to find out what everyone's been doing online. Many people say they keep in touch with all of the people the want to, so why bother with the reunion? Excuses, excuses.
I wanted to find out for myself.
Of course, there were people I didn't care about seeing, but also people I wanted to see--and lot's of people I didn't know I wanted to see!
Our reunion started at our old stomping grounds. It was a walk down memory lane. Literally! We toured the old hallways, finding our old lockers and class photos on the walls.
The heart of the school remains mostly the same, but in 10 years, there have been a lot of new and improved elements. There's a new parking lot, a new football field, a new workout room and an entirely new wing. But still, the core is the same. I feel like I have changed just as much as it has.
The big question...how did we all turn out?
GREAT! I think a lot has changed in 10 years, but on the surface, it's hard to tell. For one thing, my classmates generally looked exactly the same. Slightly older, but mostly the same. There were lots of new faces in the mix--a lot of spouses, a lot of families...I didn't know it was B.Y.O.S. -- Bring your own stroller! Haha.
It was great fun seeing all the familiar faces at the afternoon picnic (and in a class as big as mine, a few unfamiliar faces as well). The daytime BBQ was followed by an evening event at the Jet, where I found a whole other crowd of Chargers.
(It was pretty awesome of our class to organize two free events. They had some smart ideas, pulled some strings and opened it up to donations, so we had a pretty good turnout!)
We mixed and mingled and shimmied and shaked, just like the good old times. It was great to catch up with everyone and hear all the cool stuff people are up to. It wasn't pretentious. People weren't assholes. I didn't feel like anyone bragged a lot. It was just really fun to see everyone and find out where life's path is taking them.
We all know each other in way different than any other relationship. We know who excels at soccer and who's a great dancer. We know who's a straight A student and who can't spell for their lives. We know who's an unfaithful boyfriend and who's as devoted as can be. Who's parents can afford a brand new Jeep and who pulls up in mom's mini-van. Who loves the limelight and who blends in with the crowd. More than seeing who had spouses and kids, I found it most interesting to find out what everyone was doing with their lives.We all knew she'd be in politics, and he'd be a billionaire. We'd never guessed he'd be a firefighter, and she'd be a cop. We knew he'd be a dashing socialite, and she'd be a mom. But, I was surprised how many nurses I bumped into...I think 3? I was not surprised that the smarty pants were doing smarty panty things with their lives. I was surprised that a few troublemakers turned out to be teachers! I thought they'd never be back in the classroom...
Were people surprised I work in TV? Not one bit.
Were they surprised that I lived in Australia and in Korea and in Vail? Or that I've worked as an English teacher or a snowboard instructor? Or that I have a degree? Nope--TMI. People really just wanted to know one or two things: What do you do? Where do you live? And, I suppose people wanted to know if you were married or had kids, but it was pretty obvious if you did.
Never in a million years would I have predicted I would travel the globe or become addicted to snowboarding or be as spontaneous and adventurous as I am today. Back then, I liked plans! I liked routine. I wanted to be a career girl and wear a business suit. I wanted to work in television. And I am. I wanted to be a pom coach. And I am not. I wanted to have amazing friends. And I do. And I wanted to host my own show and drive around town in a convertible with the wind in my hair and come home and eat Chinese food out of the box and chat about our days my boyfriend and live in a sexy loft with a great city view. Ok. Maybe in 20 years...
In ten years, I am proud of all that I've done. All that I've seen. All that I am. But most of all, I'm thankful for my friends. They ones that knew me then and the ones who know me now.
It makes me think that 10 years is less a scary measurement of time, but milestone a worth celebrating.
