Going back to the day

[arista]

I just got the invitation for my (gulp) 25th class reunion. (YES, I am dinosaur) I have a lot of thoughts on this subject. High school was not like the highlight of my life nor was it the most enjoyable of experiences. I have gone back to every class reunion (5,10 and 20) just to let everyone know I turned out okay. It is interesting the number of people who would not talk to you in high school, but was more than overjoyed to talk to you know. Has anyone ever attended a class reunion and had some interesting stories?

[betsymae]

I just had my 25th last year and had a blast. It was so great to see that everyone had grown up and it was nice to catch up with everyone, especially the people I didnt get a chance to know that well in high school. Great bunch of people and I have some new friends now! Have a great time!

[GNTLGNT]

If you're a dinosaur Arista, that makes me a primordial protozoa who just slunk from the muck of the Prim...My 25th College reunion was in '08, and my 30th HS reunion was just this past Summer. I didn't attend this one, but did the 25th HS "gala". I've seen and experienced what you mention in your post. Those that wouldn't talk to you "back in the day", now are more than happy to "catch up"-it's a matter of maturation in a lot of cases. These folks just needed a little bit of perspective provided by age to see the good and positive in others. I myself have apologized to a couple of individuals that I treated shabbily in my youth-and we are friends now. Course, you will still see the cliques and the groups that existed back then-some people never grow up-their mind stays 15 and the body is 45 or so. I admit that I just laughed, and got a certain mean satisfaction out of the fact that at my most recently attended sure', the "hot cheerleader" that I lusted after in my dreams and who snottily wouldn't give me even the favor of a smile-is now a divorced, dumpy wreck. As my boys say-Karma is a bi**h-and I add, yeah and it has teeth. I was more of a male version of Carrie White in the popularity department and was dubbed a "redneck" by the "in-crowd", but I'm proud of my Southern Ohio roots and if hunting, fishing, quaffing a cold one and being loyal to God, Country, family and friends makes me a redneck, then Hell Yeah!-guilty as charged. Actually, another quick reunion story-then I'll quit running off at the keyboard. At my 20th, my buddy rented a limo for our spouses and us to ride in to the site and I felt beholden to sample the wares of the hospitality bar and then, back to your point Arista, people who couldn't stand me two decades ago are now happily talking with me and buying me drinks. I didn't have a drinking problem that night! I drank, I got drunk, I fell down-no problem!But it's the only time in 16 years together that my wife has seen me drunk...she had heard some of the teenage legends about me-but I put those pastimes behind till that night and I was flat out blotto. Don't know interesting or amusing this whole mess has been, but it sure was memorable(they tell me)

[Srbo]

No, there weren`t any reunions for my class of 1990.
A lot of my schoolmates died in the war, and the rest of us that stayed alive are all over the World.
When I go to visit back home, the closest thing to a reunion is visiting somebodys parents, if they are still alive...or visiting a grave...of those who could have been found and properly burried.

I loved High School very much and think about them and those times often.
Happy times...

[Kim L.]

I went to my 20th quite awhile ago, and that was plenty. My high school class was huge (over 800) and my boyfriend at the time went to a different school, so I didn't know a lot of people and still don't. It was fun to see classmates from grade school and jr. high but once was enough. And I live over 1000 miles away now.

[fushingfeef]

My 25th will be next year but I'm not planning on going. I have never attended any reunions, college or high school. I keep in touch with the people I want to keep in touch with, and that's it. Also, I transferred from another school in 9th grade so I never really felt like I identified with my high school.

[Srbo]

Very nice story, GG, i`ve enjoyed very much readin it.
Thanks, buddy.

[arista]

I think I should add a few observations from the 29th charge-free LOL...The guys who were huge jocks in high school..well their muscles had gone atrophied to the gut. Some of the cheerleaders had gotten a little wide. However, the best one of all. The guy who people called a nerd in high school..Guess what folks. He had grown a couple of inches in height and is quite successful professor and author. GO NERDS!!!

[Sigmund]

I went to the first two reunions. It was nice to see people I hadn't seen in years, but... well the friends I had in high school, we stayed friends and kept in touch, some on a weekly basis others a few times a year. The first one I had people who weren't really close to me come up and "catch up with me". ( I suspected child killers have experienced less intensive interogations.) What are you doing now? What company do you work for? Are you married? How long? What does your husband do? Hmmm is there a good living doing that? Do you have children? How many? Why not?
It just seemed like they were talking to me to see if I was "doing" better, married "better" than they were doing.
The second one was basically the same, "Are you still with the same company? Any new promotions we should know about? How are the kids doing? Are you still married? To the same guy? Where do you live now? What are you driving?"
Like I said, the friends I had in high school were friends after high school, even if it's a phone call or e-mail once a month. The people at the reunions were just taking measure of what everyone else was doing compared to how they were doing.
I didn't go after that. Paying 450.00 to stay at a hotel for two days and nights with people you don't really know, people drinking too much, getting out of hand, the same old cliques and rivalries.
But maybe it won't be like that for you. Maybe you can rekindle new friendships, meet up with people you really liked but somehow lost touch. See familiar faces that have matured and grown up. I would rather go and if it turns out ho-hum or bad , you can at least say you went. If you don't go and it was great fun, well you missed it.
Good luck!

[Damaris]

I never really understood the idea of class reunions. I guess it's nice to see acquaintances from back-when and catch up, but I'd really rather not relive that time in a crowd of drunken morons trying to play young again and convince each other how successful and great they are.