recently, i stepped into that surreal portal known as the 10-year class reunion. i do not consider myself to be ten years older, nor do i feel that i owed anyone in that cramped, hot ballroom anything. so, why was the anxiety i felt while parking my car so strong? fear of the unknown, i guess.
i was blessed with a great high school experience. it wasn't hell like it is for some people. it was fun. i got to know a lot of people and to this day, am still the "name-to-face" memory for many of my friends. so, there was absolutely no reason to fear any backlash from 1993's cliques and unimportant issues. but there i was, on the verge of terror. "who am i trying to impress?" i thought to myself. then i slapped my xeroxed nametag on and walked through the door.
the first 15-20 minutes were by far the strangest. that's how long it took me to get about 10 steps into the room. bombarded from every side with inane chatter and lame catch ups. not that i have anything against these people, but there is only so much you can say. then two things happened that changed the course of the evening.
first, was a conversation with someone who used to be my neighbor growing up. it was quick and to the point. we hugged, we caught up, we parted ways in under two minutes. we knew each other, but we were never that close, so why force yourself to go through the awkward silence that follows such a conversation. you know, when you're both still facing each other, but staring around the room to see with whom you can pass the time until the next set of chatter runs out. our time together was perfect. in, out, done, move on. suddenly, i realized i could do this.
the second thing that happened, was i saw a friend whom i haven't seen since college. completley lost touch with. someone who, for this night, would be invaluable. someone i could hang with when there was nothing else to do. thereby crushing any of the remaining scraps of my anxiety of showing up alone without a life jacket.
so, let the party start. the next hours were spent seeking out and talking to those people i actually wanted to talk to. some that i haven't seen since graduation night. some since shortly thereafter. some since college. some since less than a year ago, but needed to see them nonetheless. there was every token person that should be at a 10-year reunion. the guy who hasn't changed at all and is still that kid from the locker-lined hallways. the princess, who has let herself go a bit and let way too much of the cash bar take effect. the cowboy. the girl who looks so much better now than then, you would think she was trying to prove something. (not that that was a bad thing. point made) the completely transformed hipster. the single mom, finally getting her life back on track. and of course, the "hey buddy" guy who seems to know everyone, but probably couldn't tell you a name, if he had to. and lastly, the absenses: "where's jason?" "at home" "what a chump!" "yep."
the dj was bad. the food was terrible. the planners were a little too into their power, but let down their guard just long enough, so that my buddy dave could sneak past the name tag post and get in, without paying the ridiclous door price. (way to go, dave) but, despite the lack of amenities, it was all good. none of us have changed that much, but all off us have grown up. i was looking forward to seeing who had put on the most weight, lost the most hair, had the most kids, and married the most times. there were only isolated occasions of any of these, but it kept me entertained. interactions were civil, and often genuine. lives were shared. plans were made that will never come to fruition. the usual fare. and the tables took no time at all to fill up with the cliques of years past. but, these were not exclusive cliques. it is completely natural to settle in to talk to those you have the most in common with once all of the obligatory handshaking has taken place. you can only talk to someone you don't know for so long. so how can you blame a little separation.
overall, a huge success, though. despite a couple of people who weren't there that i really wanted to see and a stupid, unfortunate run in with the police on our way to a bar afterward, i had a blast. a hundred plus people who share little in common except for a few years of our lives 10 years ago. but, for that night, we were the best of friends. it was nothing out of the ordinary, but this time it was mine. go falcons!