20 Year High School Reunion

It's funny how we can get so busy doing what we do each day (our "routine") that we don't even realize how fast our lives are ticking away.

My first understanding of this comes from the amazement I feel when I see how my 13 year old and 4 year old daughters are growing. My 13 year old is beautiful and looks like she's 20. And it was four years ago I was changing my 4 year old's diapers and feeding her bottles at night (while my wife worked nights) and now she can write her name, and says the funniest things - she really cracks me up.

Well last Friday (two days ago as I am writing this) I went to a bar close to the high school I graduated from (Shawnee Mission South, Class of 87) to attend the first of two events for our 20 year High School Reunion.

For some, high school was the highlight of their life, and others, like me, it was a period of transition. I recognized quite a few people, but I had few friendships, so attending the reunion was going to be interesting. I had no idea what I was in for.

My wife and I sat at a table by the door, so I could see everyone as they walked in. It was later revealed by a few that I had spoken to that it was the best seat in the house. I agreed. I didn't have to walk around and mingle, we could just sit at the table and enjoy ourselves, while people walked by. If someone I knew walked by, I'd get their attention, they'd stop and talk, using our table as sort of a rest area or break table from the huge crowd that eventually showed up.

Of those who showed up for the event, I talked to everyone I wanted to see. It was such a great experience seeing them again. But what really hit me hard was how much everyone had aged. I felt old for the first time in my life. Yet I felt blessed because I don't look old. People to this day say I look 25. The older I get, the easier it gets believing them, too.

Hearing about former principals at our school that have died, teachers we had who retired after 25 or 30 years of service really made me feel old too. And to think that in another 20 years we'll be quite close to retirement age is really quite frightening at this point. I haven't done everything I want to do yet, and getting older isn't going to make it any easier to get those remaining goals accomplished.

Another thing I learned is just how oblivious I was in high school. I certainly could have had some much stronger friendships than I had. I knew some terrific people who were terrific in high school, I just didn't pursue the opportunities. I saw some of them at the reunion, and they haven't changed a bit; still terrific.

As a side note: I won the award for having the most kids. I don't know if I really do have the most, but everyone was given a fair shot to record how many kids they'd had and I came out on top with 5 daughters.

So the reunion is over now - it was quite brief - and we all will go back to our routines. But I am different now. I had a wake up call from this past weekend, and I am going to re-prioritize some of my goals. Time increases in value as we age, so we have less of it to waste now. Yet we've always had the same amount since the day we were born. It gets perplexing how time seems to be so slow when you are young, and then moves so fast once you hit 30.

I honestly wish the best that life has to offer for all those people in my graudating class that I spoke with these past two days. You all know who you are. If I am blessed enough to hang on to life for another ten years, I will be at the 30 year reunion. Maybe it'll have something to teach me too.