It’s high school class reunion time again: when I see the invitation, the emotions start to get the better of me. I have never gone to the reunions. My mother went to her own just once.
There seems to be two types of people when it comes to high school reunions: those who always go, and those who never go until everybody is too old to really remember anything about what happened before they graduated in the first place.
Those who go regularly may well have been in touch over the years, or else they find reconnecting every five years less unpleasant. They mingle and talk, and cloud it all over with generous libations from the cash bar.
Those who don’t go have a variety of reasons, I’m sure. Some simply disconnect from the awkwardness of childhood and teen memories. Others never felt a part of the ritual of school loyalty and, as such, never joined a “cool” club or activity, but merely studied, went home after last period and collected the diploma on graduation day. Their loyalties have shifted to colleges, family, or turned within to their own peace of mind.
In our class of over 200, it has been hard to find some people. The invitation went on Facebook ®, and hopefully everybody will see it. However, I know of at least one person who told the alumni committee years ago not to ever contact them again. It’s understandable that, for some, high school sucked bad enough that they graduated and hit the erase button in their minds. In some cases, though, one would think that our school was so bad, people moved to Abu Dhabi or New Zealand or Antarctica to get away from it all. Some may have died, changed their names or gone into witness protection.
The devoted alumni like I have stayed in town. Some have thriving businesses, good jobs or other ties to the community. While we do stay close to the native soil of our alma mater, we don’t often see each other. My mother has seen more classmates than I these past decades.
When I think about what high school meant to me, I feel it would be improper to whine or embellish, so I just don’t bother. My education did help me find a good job, and I did finish college and get my BA. Enough said.
It will take some thought before I commit to going to a reunion. I will think about it, but the big question is whether I want to pay for memories I may not want to have, or get back.
Susan's Scribblings the Blog 