My 25th class reunion is going on this weekend. It’s going on without me. (Hey, I haven’t gone to a reunion yet, why start now?)
I was talking with a good friend of mine about class reunions a few weeks ago. She was really surprised I’d never been to one of mine. She said, “I would’ve thought you’d be one of the people organizing your class reunions.”
Uh, no.
See my Aug. 20 entry at kidlit_central. When I was in high school, I spent my Saturday nights in the locked up library! Why in the world would I plan a high school reunion???
“I don’t know,” my friend said. “Because you’re always getting people together.”
Different people (the vast majority of my graduating class probably doesn’t even remember me!) and different get-togethers.
“Aren’t you just a little bit curious what happened to the people you graduated high school with?” my friend asked.
I’d be lying if I said no…after all, I did request that the what-have-you-been-doing-the-last-25-years book they put together be sent to me after the reunion. But getting the book is enough to satisfy my curiosity.
High school was a long time ago. It’s not that it was a terrible experience for me…I was a good student…I had friends (not a lot, but enough)…I was in band and was editor of my school paper (lots of people were in band and no one read the school paper). But I was awkward and shy. Why would I want to go back and be that same shy, insecure teenager again? When you go to a class reunion, don’t you just fall back into the same old role you played in high school?
“Not always,” my friend claims.
I don’t know.
I used to tell myself I would go to a 20 or 25-year reunion (who knew those years would pass so quickly???). I figured after that amount of time, people would be a little more “real.” They wouldn’t just stick with the same old cliques they were in in high school; they’d mingle a little more. But it’s been 25 years since I’ve seen most of these people. I’m still in touch with a few of my friends from high school (most of them were in a different graduating class or they’re not going to the reunion); the Internet makes it very easy to check in with people from high school. So why go to a reunion? Most of the people who are likely to be there weren’t very interested in me when I was in high school; why would they be interested in me now?
Still…I can’t help but wonder if I’m missing something by not going?
I’ve thought about this too. I was like you in h.s. only worse because I was in the drama magnet program where we took afternoon classes at the community college, so I didn’t even go to my h.s. fulltime. I didn’t attend the 10 or 20 reunions. My school doesn’t have 25, so the next one would be 30, in 6 years. I heard that 10 is pretty much high school all over again, but people loosen up by 20, and 30 and over are just like real life. My mom was quiet in h.s., and didn’t know many people, but when we moved back to Florida, she attended her 30-year reunion and made all sorts of new friends. I was thinking about going to the 20, but when push came to shove, it didn’t seem like it was worth the $$. Still, I think I may go to my 30.
Wow! You only have reunions every 10 years? I wonder if I’d have been a little more tempted to go to this one if I’d known it would be ten years before I’d have another opportunity rather than five? I’ll think about it again in five years…more than likely I won’t go then, either. Though I like what you said about your mom making new friends at her 30th.
I mostly didn’t want to go because I was worried no one would remember me. I was that under-the-radar. Most of my friends went to other high schools. The few kids I was friends with were the type that wouldn’t attend the reunion (tortured artist types), so I honestly worried I’d pay $300 and have no one to sit with. I talked to someone like that at my husband’s 20-year. Actually, in the 4 years since the last reunion, my husband and I have become friends with 2 people who happened to have graduated with me, both of whom are the type who’d attend the reunion, so if I attended my 30, I’d have someone to sit with at least.
That’s exactly why I don’t want to go, either. If I knew I’d have people to sit with, I’d probably feel differently.
YES, you are missing out if you stay home! YES! GO!
Okay, I was not one of the shy, loner kids. People knew me, and I knew everyone. (As yearbook editor, at one point, I could name every single kid in our school. There must have been 900 kids there.)
What I loved about my reunions (I went to the 10 and 20 yr.) was exactly what you fear–seeing how people are today. Yes, a lot of them were still fake and stuck with their cliques, but many had really grown into lovely people. I had more fun with my elementary school friends (and still do on Facebook!) than I did with all my cheerleader/jock friends from high school.
Call it research. It will bring back so many memories–even if they are memories of hanging out alone in the library 😉 That’s worth a story or two or ten!
Nah…it’s too far to suddenly decide to pick up and go now. Besides, I’ve got my children’s writers book group tomorrow. 🙂
But I like what you said about having more fun with your elementary school friends…funny, when I think about what people were like in elementary school, I get a different picture than when I think of them in high school. I’m almost tempted to go when I think of meeting up with some of THOSE people again rather than the people I knew in high school (though we’re talking about a lot of the same people).
Other people who have encouraged me to go said I should call it research, too!
MAYBE I’ll go in five years…
I would never go to a high school reunion. I moved in grade 12 anyways, but I was not a happy teen and have no desire to relive those memories. I could handle seeing people on a one on one (I live in a different city now) but nah….don’t need to embrace any of that old crap. I do enough of it just writing about that era all the time. 🙂
But yeah. Midde school I could do!
I’m not sure middle school would be any better than high school. That’s when all the “crap” really started. I’d need to go back to elementary school…that’s when everyone liked everyone else and there were no cliques. Though sadly, it doesn’t seem as though that’s the way elementary school is today.