Over the last few weeks, I've been in contact with high school classmates to help plan our 30th reunion down in New Jersey. None of these co-organizers were close friends, and we hung out with different groups in school, so I was a bit reluctant to get involved. Would they accept me? How would they feel about me getting involved? Would I fit in? Then it dawned on me that at age 47 I was having some of the exact same feelings I had in high school.
So why am I helping with the reunion, you might ask? Here's the funny thing...I'm finding that as I get older, re-connecting with the past helps with the present. I have a 16-year-old who is now in high school. What lessons can I share with him about not only surviving but enjoying high school? People do change, and I'm excited to get to know my old classmates in a new way. It's amazing how much we change over the period of 30 years, and I want to challenge myself to appreciate high school classmates for who they've become -- not who they were at age 16, 17 or 18. I want to hear about their accomplishments and cheer them on. I want to know about the sad part of their lives, whether it's a parent dying or a personal struggle so that I can reach out. We were all part of a community for a very long time (for many since 1st grade) and to me that counts for something.
I look at the high school reunion as a great opportunity to reconnect with classmates, and to continue growing as a person. Sadly, as we get older, our class of '80 will only get smaller and I want the chance to get to know and appreciate my classmates long beyond next year's reunion. I also see my high school experience as a great way to help my son (and other kids) as they navigate the process of discovering who they are, what they want to do with their future, and finding balance in their lives.
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