A Reunion, a Reflection, and a Re-Cap

Hold on to 16 as long as you can
Changes come around real soon, make us women and men.

Oh yeah, life goes on
Long after the thrill of livin is gone
Oh yeah, they say life goes on
Long after the thrill of livin is gone

-"Jack and Diane" by John Cougar Mellancamp

Ah, the Sage from the jukebox - our high school commons area had a jukebox that was usually playing "No Rain" by Blind Melon, but sometimes we were treated to a song with a catchy, if not completely disturbing, refrain like the one above.

We went to Chris' 10 year reunion. It was fine, and we saw some of his friends, said our hellos, caught up with what everyone is doing, had Chris' picture taken with his class, ate dinner, and left early to have a "date" - PawPaw and Nana were watching Wilson for the evening, and a free babysitter that you don't have to worry about always trumps hanging out with people you knew 10 years ago (or in my case, complete strangers). Chris enjoyed seeing everyone and I enjoyed getting to meet people who knew Chris "B.M." - before marriage. However, going to a reunion that isn't yours is a different experience - fun, but different.

My own reunion is supposed to be next month in St. Louis. I will not be attending. For one thing it's at the busiest time for me as I have/get to take enrollment statistics for the fall term. Another thing - it's like $300. And if Chris wants to drop $300 for a dinner and night out with people who are strangers, we should go somewhere exciting to do it, not to my class reunion.

There were nearly 1000 people in my graduating class. I went to college 900 miles away from home - I don't know these people, they don't know me. It's that simple.

Besides that, going back to my song lyrics above - the truth of it is that if you hold on to 16, you're missing out on a lot. Let's figure that average life expectancy here in the U.S. is 77 years. Most of us will live well beyond that, but assuming we are expected to live 77 years and you're holding on to 16, there are 61 years there that you're not enjoying. That's not being very optimistic about 3/4ths of your life.

Speaking for me (since I'm an expert on that subject), 16 was ok, nothing special, but it was fun (I was an exchange student in Spain when I was 16, how could that not be fun?). Since then I went to college, fell in love, got married, had a beautiful child, and I'm expecting my second in 25 weeks. That's just the bottom line, and while I'm not who I was at 16, I don't want to be. Even if I did want to be that person, spending $300 for a high school reunion isn't going to make that happen.

Here's the other thing: That really, really cool, attractive, popular, star football player from high school - well, I can tell you what he looks like 40 years after high school graduation: He's still attractive, but he sleeps in his recliner with one sock on and one sock off. If he does home repair that involves electricity or a chain saw, there's a good chance someone will go to the E.R. He always misses the exit he needs when he's coming home from the airport - and then gets irritated if you laugh about that. He can't figure out how to work the t.v. or dvd player, unless his wife is there. He has three grown children and two grandchildren who think he's still that really cool star athlete, but his eldest daughter knows he cheats by giving her junky bait when the two of them go fishing together. He has moved his kids from apartment to apartment, from state to state, paid a king's ransom in college tuition, and has never complained - to his kids - about that. He probably doesn't think about 1965 much anymore, and there aren't that many cheerleaders lining up to hang out with him (unless you count his youngest daughter, but that was because she needed cash and happened to be a cheerleader). He thinks his grand-daughter is more beautiful than any homecoming queen he ever dated in the 60s. He doesn't play baseball much these days, but he's always there to watch his only son play, or to teach his grandson how to field a grounder. Since I grew up with this man, and since I think he's pretty special, I'll just save my reunion money and take him and my mom out when they visit me in September for my birthday - to say thank you. Just so he knows how special he has become since his 16th birthday on August 16th 1963. Happy birthday Dad.