After many years of either not wanting to go, making excuses not to go or not having the time to go, I finally went to one of my high school reunions. My 30 year one to be exact. (WHEN DID WE ALL GET OLD??)
I had finally decided to do it near the end of the summer, when I realized that my "day job" was going to be a little less intense this year. I felt I could finally take the time off and not feel like I was letting anything slip away. I made plans, and mentioned to a few of my friends that I was gonna do it. I was a little excited when they were excited to hear I was coming, so that eased a lot of worries that I had. See my old song, "Old Ghosts" and the article I did here a few years back.
Got into town on Friday, and it turned out there wasn't anything going on, so I did some errands for my dad, and relaxed form the flight. Saturday was going to be the big day...
Saturday morning I was going to head into town to see the homecoming parade. They were actually looking for classmates from '88 to ride on a float in the parade, but I knew I wouldn't be able to be up and coherent enough for that, so I settled on getting into town in time to at least see the parade.
Or so I thought...
By the time I got into town, ALL the roads to where the parade was going on were blocked! I tried all my old back road ways into town and they were all stationed with police, and no-one was going in. So, I made the best of it and had an early lunch at my favorite little mom and pop restaurant in Plainfield, Nabbys.
After lunch, it was time for an alumni band event at the high school. I went there, hoping I'd run into someone I knew there, to no avail. I did meet a few alums from before my time, and after my time there, and that was really cool. we also got treated to a concert performance by the current band, which rocked. I even got a little misty eyed when they played the school song (99% the same version I played in my school days!)...it was the first time in 30 years that song didn't make me cringe lmao!! After the performance, (weather kept the band from marching at the game, so I didn't stick around for it), there was another alumni band gathering at a bar and grill. I spent time there talking with the current band directors, and had a real nice time. It was awesome to see that the "family" vibe that the band had, it reminded me of the "family" vibe the band had when I was there...the more things change, the more they stay the same indeed...
The big event was that night. I drove into town, parked, and then finally got a little nervous. One of the lines in "Old Ghosts started running through my head "will I be remembered, will any one care, or would they all just stand and stare?" Have to admit, I started wondering what I had gotten myself into for a second. The event was held in a club called the Clock Tower, which is a beautiful old building in the downtown. I went up the stairs, followed the sigh into a room and was immediately greeted with a lot of noise, and people calling my name and saying that they were so glad I had made the trip! Not what I was expecting! All my worries were gone in seconds, and I felt like I had been welcomed back into a "family" that I didn't realize I had. A couple of my oldest friends showed up soon after, and I spent the night talking about my adventures in teaching and making music. A lot of people knew about my mom's passing, and they all had nice things to say about that as well.
I ended up having a blast catching up with so many people that I honestly didn't think I'd ever see again, and just taking in the vibe of being a "Wildcat" again for a day. Or, maybe I was all along and didn't let myself realize it...With everything that has been going on with my and my immediate family over the last year and a half, making (or remaking ) these connections was just what the doctor ordered for me. As with how these things go, I didn't see everyone that I was hoping to see, but that really didn't matter by the end of the night. After the event was over, a group of us walked over to another bar to hang out for a little while longer. While in there, I ran into other old friends from other classes as well, just to add icing on the cake of a great day.
I"ve been kind of buzzing since last weekend, and my mood has been fantastic since. Like I said to one of my friends, I felt a little silly for not doing one of these things sooner. I am going to try to make plans to do this trip back to my hometown more often.
I embraced my "Old Ghosts," and the haunting ended up being a good haunting...