The Decision
And I thought that Lebron James had a big decision to make a few years ago. Well, I won't be taking my talents to South Beach, but I do have to make a decision on something that bothered me the last time it popped up: Should I go to my high school's all years reunion?
I am stumped. Will it be like going back in time? I haven't seen some of these people for almost 40 years. Why should I care?
I haven't really lived in my home town since I began college. I did come home from school for the summers and during other breaks, but I have lost touch with everyone from my class and from my school except for my family.
My youngest brother has always lived in my home town, so he has lived his whole life knowing everything that has gone on with everyone. His oldest son's old girlfriend was the daughter of a guy I had in my freshman class. You know how those things go.
Several years ago my Mom said "Do you know who I saw today? Cathy Harris. You remember her. You went to school with her." I had to answer "Mom -- I haven't seen her since about the sixth grade." Heck, the only thing I remembered about her (aside from her cute dimples!) was that she gave a picture of herself to one of my best friends. Naturally, in a show of early macho behavior, I convinced him that the manly thing to do was to rip it up!
High school was, for me, a challenging time. I was hyper-involved in school activities including sports (cross country, basketball, track, baseball), student activities (business club, foreign exchange club, student council) and work (McDonald's, local drug and liquor store). I was in sports but didn't want to be grouped with the dumb jocks, instead preferring to call myself an "athlete." My best friends tended to be socially backwards. I was a straight A student. I was the student government president. But it was the 1970's, so I was still a rebel. I was always busy, always on the go. Little wonder that I got knocked off my feet by strep throat my senior year.
My high school has already had two all years reunions in the past. I just couldn't muster up the desire to go. I'd like to go just to check out some of the people, but there is a huge part of me that thinks "Why should I even care?"
I definitely have to do some more thinking on this.
I am stumped. Will it be like going back in time? I haven't seen some of these people for almost 40 years. Why should I care?
I haven't really lived in my home town since I began college. I did come home from school for the summers and during other breaks, but I have lost touch with everyone from my class and from my school except for my family.
My youngest brother has always lived in my home town, so he has lived his whole life knowing everything that has gone on with everyone. His oldest son's old girlfriend was the daughter of a guy I had in my freshman class. You know how those things go.
Several years ago my Mom said "Do you know who I saw today? Cathy Harris. You remember her. You went to school with her." I had to answer "Mom -- I haven't seen her since about the sixth grade." Heck, the only thing I remembered about her (aside from her cute dimples!) was that she gave a picture of herself to one of my best friends. Naturally, in a show of early macho behavior, I convinced him that the manly thing to do was to rip it up!
High school was, for me, a challenging time. I was hyper-involved in school activities including sports (cross country, basketball, track, baseball), student activities (business club, foreign exchange club, student council) and work (McDonald's, local drug and liquor store). I was in sports but didn't want to be grouped with the dumb jocks, instead preferring to call myself an "athlete." My best friends tended to be socially backwards. I was a straight A student. I was the student government president. But it was the 1970's, so I was still a rebel. I was always busy, always on the go. Little wonder that I got knocked off my feet by strep throat my senior year.
My high school has already had two all years reunions in the past. I just couldn't muster up the desire to go. I'd like to go just to check out some of the people, but there is a huge part of me that thinks "Why should I even care?"
I definitely have to do some more thinking on this.
Portrait of a Blogger as a Young Man
posted by lightning36 at 12:22 AM
9 Comments:
I'm going to my 40th at the end of September. You can go with me if you'd like.
I bet there would be folks who would like to see you. At yours; not mine.
At any rate, you'll see me around the middle of October. No horseshoes.
dude.go. u will have fun
I saw an e card that said something like, I don't need to go to my high school reunion, I'm on facebook, I already know who got fat. LOL But I say go..why not, have fun.
Light - I went to boarding school for my last 2 years of high school and there were only 49 in my graduating class. I had never been to a reunion but decided to go to my 40th. There were 6 of us there from my class plus someone from 1975 and a few from 1972. It was fun but it wasn't amazing. I bet you'll enjoy yourself if you go. Why not do it? I bet you'll be glad that you did.
You just listed all the reason not to go and then making it into a decision. It looks like you already decided and are now racked with guilt.
Will guilt win out?
Stay tuned.
Eh, I went to my 20th a few years ago. It was weird. I actually went to a private HS for my first two years. Didn't like it and went back to public school to finish up. So I had gone to middle school with a lot of these people. But only being in HS with them for two years, I wasn't that attached to them.
I went away to college and kept up with a handful of people for a year or two, but pretty much my group of friends was now my college friends and remains that way today.
I am now connected to some of these people on Facebook. I see that many of them do get together all of the time.
I went to two night's of our 20th reunion. Drank a lot of booze, engaged in a lot of small talk.
I think someone is trying to put together a 25th for next summer. I'm on the fence as to if I will go. I don't drink anymore. I'd just feel out of place. Like you, I haven't kept up with anyone. The one person I'm still in contact with from HS and grade school ended up transferring to my college and joining my fraternity.
I think your high school experience sounded like mine (minus the sports). I had a small group of really close friends. But I was involved in a lot of activities and I was accepted by just about every clique in the school. Never felt out of place at any party or anything like that. It's just that I knew that I was going to go away after high school and do my own thing and I wasn't interested in living in the past.
I had my XX reunion last year and waffled like you. Ended up not going, then regretted it. Sorry about the XX - it's classified info.
Poor Dave.
He thinks we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
I just noticed this should be a 5 year for me but no notice. I got the one for 50 at this address. I've never gone. I wonder how many showed for the 50 and of those how many didn't have walkers.
I have been to two reunions since I graduated in 1974. It was nice to see the classmates but then again so much time has gone under the bridge that everyone is so much different and the things you had in common are not that important as before.
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