Reunions and the Lessons of Life.....

As a rule, I'm usually not a big reunion guy. But I made it to one last night, and I'm happy I did. I had known about this reunion for over a year because my good buddy Mike was on the planning committee. Now Mike is definitely a big reunion guy. He's pretty sharp and is an excellent communicator. But most importantly, he has a photographic memory for names and faces.

I think reunions for my particular High School are becoming important. Midpark High School is now defunct. It became a victim of decreasing population, strained budgets, and poor decision making (IMO). It has been merged with the other High School in the district, Berea High School. Combining Midpark and Berea would be sorta like merging Ohio State and Michigan. Well, maybe not that extreme, but you get the picture.

So I went to the reunion hopeful, but with modest expectations. I was relieved to run into a friendly face before my wife and I even got in the hall. Linda and Lance were fellow members of Wine and Gold United, the ticket plan group for the now NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers. We congratulated each other on the championship and moved into the hall.

Future blogger

Once inside, we were met by our good friends Mike and his wife Anne. We congratulated them on becoming new grandparents and reserved a table with them. I moved to the bar to get a beer and started to mingle. To be honest, there were just a few people I could recognize. Thank God for name tags.  But little by little, conversations were started and the cobwebs were brushed away.

It was great to talk with the successful, the not so successful, the old hippies, and everyone in-between . It was great to swap stories. There were plenty of stories. Stories that made me laugh. Stories that made me cry. One story literally tore my heart out. But we were all there. Survivors of one thing or another.

I was particularly happy to run into some of my fellow ex-band members. The band was always special to me. Band lasted all year, not like a seasonal sport. Each of us played a part. We performed frequently and actually won awards. These people are my Band of Brothers (Sisters). And they always will be.

Older, but wiser: Sue, me, Debbie, and Linda.

I guess my problem with reunions is that they can be stressful. Or at least they used to be. What should I wear? What if I don't recognize anybody? What if they don't recognize me? Or generalize by saying I wasn't friends with that person in high school, so I won't be friends now.
But you know what? It doesn't matter anymore. It just doesn't matter.

We are all old-timers now. The girls that were hot - are not. The tough guys are balding and dumpy. We are all coping with similar problems with aging. From physical problems to the realities that people in their 60's, although greatly experienced, and with plenty still to contribute, are not considered valuable anymore.

At least for me, I think it's important to stay young at heart. Keep some young people in your life, and get to know them. Times have changed, but people don't. Try to stay adventurous. Find something to be amazed by as often as you can.

In the end, all we are left with are stories. Tell them to anyone that will listen. I had a blast last night.