20 Years Ago...

It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since high school graduation. The proof came last weekend when our fellow classmates from Borah High School gathered to mark the milestone. I have been tracking the event planning and classmates' whereabouts through the Class Reports web site. I was like a stalker, always checking to see who updated their profile, who was among the missing and what those listed as found were up to. I was excited to see old friends-- both those who've recently reconnected as well as those whom I haven't seen since leaving high school. No anxiety or nerves leading up to it all.

My high school years were good, but I feel like things are so great now-- I am so blessed with what I have and what I've accomplished. Not to mention, I am a size smaller that I was in high school. Anyway, Friday night, a bunch of us met up at a restaurant before the big event. It was a good time to catch up, see people and break the ice. BUT when it actually came time to walk in to the actual event, there was a little nervousness. I was glad to see I wasn't the only one who took a minute before heading in the door. Once inside, I saw some familiar faces instantly and felt better.

But I still felt like I jumped into the deep end of the pool or something. I wanted to find Ann, the only person I still know who I met in the 8th grade. On the phone, I joked saying we couldn't talk to each other at the reunion because we talk all the time. After treading water a bit and chatting with Ann, I felt better and got down to mingling. It was pretty amazing to see people and recognize them instantly-- some not changing too much over the years, while there were a few stumpers-- people I did not remember or recognize. There was the shock of seeing Julie, my best friend in junior high. After getting our driver's licenses at the tender age of 14, she and I spent two weeks terrorizing the small town of Shoshone cruising in her dad's old 1970's Lincoln. There was one guy who insisted he remembered me, saying how smart I was and how I was competing with this other guy to be valedictorian (definitely NOT me). There were a few people who worked with my mom and asked about her. There were a couple of guys I dated who definitely changed-- one of them spending the last four years meditating in India. A lot of bald heads-- by choice or because of nature? Anyway, glad I went, glad I got to talk to all the classmates I did and wish I had talked to a few more. Maybe in five more years?