Last weekend was my ten year high school reunion, and from the second it was announced last year… I knew I wouldn’t be going. In fact, I responded to my cousin’s inquiry with a “HELL NO,” at which she laughed because I’m sure she expected nothing less from me!
High school was definitely a good time for me, for the most part. I don’t have ill feelings toward anyone, and I often reminisce and feel nostalgic about that time. Though I was quiet, smart, and nerdy, I had good teachers and great friends. I was involved in extracurriculars (tennis, yearbook, NHS) and received a decent education. And yet, I had ZERO interest in attending our reunion, and immediately began planning half jokingly and half seriously an “un-reunion” to which I invited three friends and one cousin with whom I graduated (and we WILL be holding this super large event soon, don’t you worry!)
And therein lies why I didn’t attend. Those four people? The only people I actively remain in touch with from high school. Sure, I’m “Facebook friends” with plenty of others from my class, but Facebook friend does not a real friend make.
Here’s how I look at it: if we haven’t talked or gotten together in the last TEN YEARS, then it’s safe to say we probably don’t care much about one another. And if we don’t care much about one another, I feel no need to go out and spend the evening with these people. Also, I feel like in the age of Facebook, reunions are a little unnecessary. We basically keep up with each other’s lives, whereabouts, and activities anyway, so it somewhat defeats the purpose of the ol’ classic reunion from back in the day.
I won’t lie: I’m an avid Facebook stalker. I am certainly curious as to what my old classmates are up to these days, but Facebook and Instagram mostly fulfill that desire for me. I can find out just about anything about anyone with a few clicks here and a few clicks there. Sometimes I miss certain people, but I’m reminded that we’ve had basically zero contact over the last decade and realize that our friendships were merely surface level.
Do I sometimes miss that little bubble of high school and wish I could go back for a day? Sure, I do. Since then, so many of my classmates have left and I will never see them again… and that’s okay even if it is a little sad. Life moves on. We can never recreate those four years in time again, not even at a reunion. For me, the idea of attending a reunion at a bar with just a small portion of my class just wasn’t doing it for me. I’m not a bar person, I only had a handful of friends in high school, and I am in very regular contact with those people still. Because I was always that quiet girl, I doubt anyone missed me anyway, and that’s okay too. The four people that I love from high school are still in my life and they will always be there… reunion or not.
If I had to say something to my fellow class of 2007 Spartans, I would say simply this: thank you for the memories and all the shared experiences which genuinely shaped us all. I reminisce every so often about the good ol’ days and what I would have done the same and differently. I probably would have tried to be way less shy and much more involved and social. Even though life has taken us in so many different directions, we will always share this one thing and will always miss it at least a little.
I wish you all the best and will fondly remember (most of) you.
Some of you can suck it though.
(I kid, I kid).
Here’s to you, class of 2007. Maybe I’ll catch ya at the next one… but probably not.
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