My 10 year high school reunion is on this weekend.
And from the talk going around the place, you’d think it was some kind of detested, evil cult gathering. I’m sure all the talk about what happens at high school reunions is over rated. Besides, I kinda like the idea of reunions. I like meeting familiar faces from the past. I like discovering the paths of life people take, after starting from the same point. I love listening to people’s stories.
I had an ok time in high school. I didn’t have a fantastic time, but it was fun nonetheless.
I had the usual case of bottled up angsty teenage rage, reckless middle-child rebellion, a misery of depressions and searches for individuality and purpose, and exceedingly explosive female mood swings. But I think I mellowed out somewhat in upper high school. Ha!
I think I just didn’t fit in anywhere. I had heaps of friends – but they were all from different groups. So I just drifted from group to group. The pot smoking arty group, the brainy library group, the elite popular trendy group, the cool intelligent and slightly eccentric group. I was quite happy being a bit of a loner. Doing my own thing. With nothing to prove. Happy with who I was. And avoiding the whole bitchiness and politics of group dynamics and inter group dynamics.
But having said all that, I believe the reason I was rather aloof was because my core friendship group was outside of high school, made up of family and close family friends.
I think my only “regret” was that I didn’t get involved with the rest of the high school community. I didn’t join any clubs, or productions, or committees or anything. I was however, very obsessed with my art.
So I left high school with some awesome memories, some kickasss report cards, a staggering art portfolio, two cherished friendships, and some unresolved teenage crushes (!).
I’ll tell you how it all turns out.