Reunions...

First, I need to start off with the fact that I don't know where all of the mosquitoes have come from, but I seem to have attracted every single one of them within a 5-mile radius (to bad it wasn't the American and Australian men's Olympic swim teams...did I just write that? :)). I think I counted 17 a few minutes ago.

So, last night was my 10-year high school reunion. And, I must say: I actually had fun!

I went with my best friend from high school, Sarah, and our husbands (who are relatively minor characters in this story). There's a song out there that says "you're always 17 in your hometown." I've never really recognized the truth in that statement. But, it's so right. Every frame of reference I had of my classmates ended at graduation, for most of them I hadn't kept up with. And, high school in retrospect was a pretty scary place...cliques, awkwardness, developing an identity. That scariness doesn't end with a diploma. I was terrified to walk through the doors into the banquet room. Flashback to first day of school 1997..."what will everyone think of me?" And so, 10 years later, I'm in the same mental place.

Fast forward 3 hours later...I've come to realize that who we were 10 years ago is a far cry from who most of us have become now. And, I would say, for the most part we've just gotten better. There were the few who stayed simply with those who they new best, but on the whole, everyone made the effort to reconnect.

And, boy, were there surprises! Now, I think I have aged quite well. We'd all be lying if we said we didn't want to look good 10-years post graduation. I think deep down that's what we really go back for- curiosity gets the best of us. And, being girls (somethings never change), we still secretly rejoice when we realize that the weight we've gained is nothing compared to some of the others. That said, though, the girls were easy to recognize. Time works differently on men, however. They weren't so clear-cut. *Mind you, we didn't have name tags.

But, here is just a sampling of what I found out has happened in 10 years... one of the girls is married, is a pharmacist, and has 4 kids! One of us now is a cheerleader for a professional football team and just came out of a relationship that ended after 9 years. One guy lives literally 5 miles up the road from me. Many of us have kids, but some still aren't married. One girl has a husband currently somewhere in the Atlantic on a submarine for the next 3 months. One guy was seriously injured and was in rehab for 6 months after a bull-riding accident; he said he was literally happy just to be alive.

And, yes, I ran into my old flame. I thought it was going to be weird. It wasn't. In fact, we really kind of talked as if nothing had ever happened, just old friends. He's married with a baby on the way. I talked to his wife for a little while, and I liked her. And I was genuinely happy for him.

I write all of this, 1) because it was fun to catch up with people who shared many years of what most would call our "previous lives," and 2) because school starts tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll have a new set of students who are stand currently where I stood 10 years ago. And I want them to know that even though they don't see it now and even though they carry baggage and even though they think this may be the best or the worst days of their lives, my hope for them is that they only get better.

For those of you who know me well, I can usually find something judgemental to say. But, I left last night thinking in a completely different way. I'm excited about the new school year and seeing my students. And just like those who attended last night from the class of '98, I'm excited about seeing them hopefully get a little bit better each day. I have high hopes for them 10 years down the road. The bull-rider guy may have summed it up best. He ended by saying he is happier now than he has ever been. Isn't that the point of life...to always look back and say you are happier today than you were yesterday? That is my personal goal for the first day of school- to wake up tomorrow happier than today. Happy back to school!