Last night I attended my 20 year high school reunion.  I’ve been really torn about it too.  When one looks back at high school, we find it to be a simpler time.  We went to school, hung out, and we made it through.  During those four years together we formed bonds and friendships we hoped would never die or fade away.  We were better, we were the ones who would stick together till the end.  Through thick and thin, we were a family.

Then we graduated.

It’s never intentional, once the cap and gowns are taken off and put away and the parties are over, it happens.

We do fade away.

We all disperse in the wind and become scattered like seeds, ready to put down roots and begin again in some other place.  Those we swore an eternal allegiance ride off into the sunset and become distant memories.  In the aftermath, we are left to make a new world for ourselves and the ones we were like a family with are gone.

Twenty years is a long time my friends.  During that time the people I knew and grew up with have changed.  Not by any fault of their own, but we change.  Spouses, careers, kids… they all change us and the part of us that was carefree becomes weighed down with our responsibilities.  I became an author, others own businesses, and the list of our professions goes on and on. It stands as a testament to how smart and dedicated we were.  But we had to, it’s what growing up is…

…it’s about leaving all the past things behind and making our own way.  It’s about being all we can be.

I said I was torn about it and I’ll tell you why.  In school, I had a small group of close friends and I had a lot of people I talked with and joked with.  I can be very open in a social setting, but I keep myself guarded and only a few ever get to see me.  I sat in the back of the room, I caused some trouble, and I survived.  When I stood in that room last night, I watched everyone get to know each other again and catch-up.  We drank, we laughed, and we remembered what we had when we were behind the school’s walls for those four years.

We smiled.

For one night we came back. In those moments, we phased back into each other’s lives again.

We were in high school again.

I know some will fade back to the world, but some of us made vows to each other.  We promised to keep in touch. In the process, we made some connections and friendships back.  Some of the flickering sparks from the past were ignited, and the flames roared within us again.

I am proud of us, we survived.  We made it through.

I always heard that high school is the place you can’t wait to get out of and the place you spend your whole life wanting to do again.  I agree.  I wish I could change some things.  I wish I could have been a closer friend with a lot of my classmates.  But I can’t go back and change the past.  I can only sit here in the present and hope to make those connections for now and in the future.

We are awesome,

We yell more,

We’re the class of ’94

Lastly, the reunion party was amazing.  The people in charge did an amazing job pulling it off and I guess we can do it all again in five years…

Goodnight,

Brent