Yes, I attended my high school class's big four-oh reunion this past weekend, and here are some preliminary observations:
- Where are all the fat people? Or, for that matter, the bald guys? Is the Class of '67 just super-fit, or are the not-so-fit just declining to show up for inspection? I gotta say, people looked GOOD.
- The guys lined up along the dance floor to watch the women dancing solo. Some things never change.
- When a guy introduced me to his wife as "my second-grade girlfriend" I suddenly remembered how much I liked him. We traded a few drug stories and bonded all over again.
- Lots of couples had met in high school, married, and are still together. They even looked happy. Go figure, and congrats to them!
- Others of us had traveled a bumpier road. Lots of us.
- I loved hearing people scream that they'd seen me in the New York Times or on CBS. Others screamed "OMIGOD, You wrote 'Golden Girls'!!!!" and gee, I wish I could have just nodded and said yep, that's me. But no, I'm the humble garden writer, not the rich, famous TV writer. But no matter - I love that they wanted me to be that successful and famous. It's great to know the old gang is cheering me on.
- To understand the context in which one classmate wore a bikini T-shirt to the event, remember we were at a fairly fancy country club and "party clothes" were specified on the invitation. But she thought it would be a hoot to wear the tacky beach T-shirt and a hoot it certainly was. Who says you have to act like a grandmother just because you're old enough to be one?
- Speaking of which, the guy I used to sneak out with at 2 a.m. to go sailing across country roads at 100 miles an hour, with no driver's license in sight, now has 8 grandchildren. But he's still cute and a great dancer. So there.
- This being the Richmond, Virginia, left-wingers furtively huddled together and inquired in hushed voices about other lefties and with whom, on the other hand, we should avoid the subject of politics at all costs.
- A member of our 7th grade girl gang complained that we'd all been mean to her because her clothes didn't have the right label and we confessed it was only because she was cuter than all of us, and that seemed to help. Maybe some old wounds were healed.
- My old swimming teammate and I were bragging about our trophy-hogging performance (best relay teams in the state!) when others spoke up to remind me I was the fastest runner in our class. Year after year, apparently. Thanks for the memory, y'all! That's one I hope I don't forget. (Though I must say it's saddening to remember why I didn't pursue whatever talents I might have had at running - no women's track team existed. This was pre-Title IX, ya know, and our "athletic" options were limited to cheerleading or twirling a baton.)
We may all meet again 10 years from now or in just 2 years for a big 60th birthday blow-out. I say: Why wait?
You wrote: >or are the not-so-fit just declining to show up for inspection< - I think you hit it on the head - I had the same exprience and my 5th and 15th reunions - the folks who showed look great, much better than they did in high school IMHO, those who did not show? Well, you can only speculate...
Posted by: Kathy, Washington Gardener | August 29, 2007 at 03:49 PM
Sounds like a blast. Great report! BUT - you were doing drugs in SECOND GRADE?????!!!
Not to mention 100 m.p.h at 2 in the morning!! I'm about to go to my 62nd, and we were a bunch of goody two-shoes compared to your group - and obviously didn't have as much fun. Don't you wish we could live our lives backward? Nah!!!
Posted by: Millie | August 29, 2007 at 08:07 PM
Great report of your high school reunion. This year I'm attending the first one since I left ( my 45th ) and since there were only 55 seniors in my class it ought to prove interesting. Coming from a small town in Alabama there wasn't a lot of hijinks going on and it was the conservative 50's and 60's when one's reputation was suppose to be beyond reproach.
I love the bikini Tee.
Posted by: carolyngail | August 30, 2007 at 10:05 AM
Loved it, Loved it. How great is that to have press coverage of our reunion!! And, you have two regular readers -- brother Mark and daughter Sarah. They were both so impressed with your blog that they plan to make it a regular reading. Congratulations once again.
Posted by: A classmate | August 30, 2007 at 11:19 AM
Good news, Susan--Jim G. and I are already discussing plans for a collective birthday party for our class in two years when we all turn 60! I am not waiting another ten years to see everyone. I didn't realize how much I have missed so many old friends until I saw them Saturday. In fact, expect me to come to see you and your garden before long. Thanks so much for coming to Richmond to be with us!
Posted by: Betty, one of the reunion planners | August 30, 2007 at 12:56 PM
At my 30 year reunion there was a friend of mine who was in chorus with me who is now a Christian right winger. When I happened to mention I was working with MoveOn, she said, "Oh, we have nothing further to talk about, then!" and turned her back on me.
How pathetic that they are so afraid to hear anything that might change their small little minds.
Posted by: donna | September 14, 2007 at 04:26 PM