High School Revisited

I found a great new high school alumni site recently. A high school classmate and fellow drummer has worked hard at making a bridge between old and new. I was able to see current pictures beside the high school pictures, which was a bit of a shock at first. All of those people had been frozen in my mind, forever 18, so to see gray hair and relaxed waistlines just did not compute. But after my initial reaction, I felt the tension of 30 years' peer pressure melt away. I had last seen most of these people at graduation. I took the best part of high school with me by marrying my high school sweetheart, so I didn't look back. I missed the reunions. It seems every time there was a reunion I was in the hospital for something, surgery, or having a baby. This would be the year for a reunion, come to think of it, so forgive me when I say I'd just as soon they didn't do one this year! But if they did, I would feel totally comfortable going, because even though I don't look like a kid anymore, I know I would feel comfortable among these old friends.

I began reading profiles, catching up on people's lives, and found surprises in every one. No one's life seems to have turned out the way I (or they!) thought it would, but most everyone seems to have gotten to a place of contentment. We've all lived long enough to forgive ourselves for not being perfect. We may not have accomplished what we set out to, but we have lived good lives. Most of us have children or even grandchildren we are very proud of, with which we have enriched the earth. I left a profile too, somewhat guarded, but a beginning. We all shared a time in our lives that helped shape us, a time we'll never forget, and it has been long enough that acknowledging that connection feels right.