I’ve never been to a high school reunion. Life got too busy and I usually lived far away from my Indiana hometown. I have plans to attend this summer. I won’t tell you how many years have passed but here is a hint...it has been half a century!
I went to the attic to find my class yearbook. It was buried so far back that I had to stop at a rest area on my search. I’m not sure why I need it. I remember my classmates when they were in their teens, and their class photos reflect that. NEWS FLASH!!! They don’t look like that anymore, and neither do I. It will be like joining with a group of strangers, who can’t recognize each other, yet have stories about you. It may seem like a Twilight Zone episode.
I had very few friends at school. My social circle was the youth group at church. They will always seem like family to me. Thanks to social media we can stay in touch but I noticed that none of us have felt brave enough to hit the video camera so we can see each other. Perhaps it will remind us of how “seasoned” we are. I was at a party once where you received a small piece of paper. We were asked to “Write down something about yourself that no one here would know about.” The papers were thrown into a container and each one chose someone else’s paper. We then had to figure out who the author of the answer was. The slip I got said, “I was once under 30.”
I have a question for you...Where has all the time gone? When I was young it seemed like life would never end and yet I find myself in the winter years of life. I’ve had so much water go over the dam that it dried up!
When I was young, I didn’t believe older adults who would say, “I wouldn’t trade being a young man for anything.” Are you kidding? I would have said, “It would be nice to be in my 20s and 30s again.” Let’s think about that. A youthful body would be a good thing, but without the life experience and knowledge I have now, I would probably get into real trouble! The last I looked, the only way to get life experience is to experience it. And if we are worth our salt, wisdom would be added to that life experience and knowledge. So now that we have talked this through, would I still want to be young again...here’s the answer...drum roll, please…Nope!
Maybe going to my high school reunion will be fun, as long as we all don’t expect youthful faces and figures (BTW...my six-pack is now a keg!).
I liked what you wrote Wally
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteWell said. Would I want to do over again? I really don't know. I gave birth to three amazing children. Two boys,and a girl. She was a mini me.Unfortunetly,she fought depression for a long time. She took her own life at age 40. She lived with us. We had to do CPR on our own daughter. Sometimes I think if she had never of been born,she wouldn't of gone through so much pain. But then I thank God I had her for as long as I did. She gave me two beautiful grandaughters. I have been married for almost 50 years. Never easy. Hard road to travel.Well,we made it to reunion,and it was great seeing you,and knowing you're doing well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your story. I'm sure others will benefit from your condor. I lost a son through estrangement, their choice. It hurts.
DeleteThanks for sharing. I've had so many challenges as well. Here's to better days.
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