This past weekend I joined in the festivities for my 40th class reunion. I was not going to attend, but my guy, said “why? It will be fun”. Still I was non-committal.
And then I gave in. I was all in. I went to dinner with some dear friends and some new friends, I went to lunch with some old friends, I went to a parade where we cheered on each and every float and flatbed filled with young students that passed by and ended it with the rock-n-roll reunion. To my delight, it was fantastically fun. To return for a minute to days gone by, to discuss “how it used to be” and how much remains the same.
My advice to all those who teeter on the edge of going, please come the next time, you won’t be sorry you did. There are people waiting and wanting to see you. Trust me.
If you are like me you feel a sense of awkwardness combined with a weird excitement at the prospect of seeing the past. Let go of any preconceived ideas you may have on reunions and dive right in. Allow yourself to have fun and live in the moment.You won’t regret it.
I cherished every minute, every smile, every hug, every conversation. Some people will surprise you, others will remain untouched by time and some will need a name tag to jolt your aging memory,embrace it all.
Reunions are not about success, they are about life. Who is living, who is tragically gone too soon (it’s always too soon), who is struggling, who has found new love, who has kids (or better yet grandchildren) and where life has taken them. These are the people who formed part of who you are today, it is good to reconnect with your life. It can infuse you with hope to see a familiar face and embrace a long-lost friend.
In the course of a few hours, I conversed with a couple who just had their first grandchildren (twins!), another who added a beautiful little girl to his family, talked to a friend that had just lost a loved member of the family, shared pride with a military dad, and saw many long married couples, newly divorced, newly married and eternally single. I took pictures with friends with authentic smiles and hearts. I had one friend tell me she could see happiness in my eyes (that meant so much). I was so surprised and pleased to have friends tell me they enjoy my little blog. I saw friends who struggle with illness but remain illuminated in spirit and inspirational to us all. I saw friends that go back to grade school days and even those that were bigger than life in high school and now simply proudly our classmates.
At this point in life, they are genuinely happy to see you. It’s finally real. You can feel confident to talk to that old crush, the football star or the homecoming queen, band dude, theatre people, cheerleaders, science geek, brainiac, the outsider, the insider, your friends, your antagonists and even people you may not know. Introduce yourself and smile, you have earned it.
To the Class of 1978….you Rock.
Until Next Time,
LJ
Eclectic Energy 