WSHS 40th Reunion Reflections: Why You Shouldn’t Wait Until the 50th
A few thoughts from this weekend — and maybe a gentle nudge for anyone considering if/when they might attend the next Reunion:
• Time has a funny way of sanding off the sharp edges of high school. The big dramas from back then? Mostly forgotten, or at least funny now. You quickly realize that nobody’s carrying around your teenage baggage — except maybe you.
• People don’t really change — but they do grow up. Life, kids, marriages, divorces, aging parents, careers, health scares — all of it gives us a little more empathy. Conversations were easy, even with people I hadn’t talked to in decades.
• We’ve lost more classmates than any of us would like to admit — and that list only gets longer each year. Every chance we have to get together becomes more valuable because, bluntly, there are fewer chances ahead.
• Do the math: for most of us, we’ve got maybe 500-600 “good weeks” of relative health left (on avg). Which sounds both terrifying and strangely motivating when it comes to things like seeing old friends.
• I was nervous, too. Worried about who would be there, who I might awkwardly bump into, or whether it would feel weird. What I found was a room full of people who share a wonderful common foundation and were simply happy to reconnect — even if just for a few hours.
• Jobs, status, and resumes were barely mentioned. Nobody cared. Most conversations were about family, old stories, random memories, or (let’s be honest) how much longer people plan to keep working.
• One unexpected theme: there were a lot of casual apologies. Not just for teenage nonsense, but for losing touch, not making more of an effort, or for letting life get in the way of staying connected. Nobody was bitter — just a lot of “Hey, I’m really glad to see you and I should have called or texted.”
In short: It’s not about reliving high school. It’s about honoring the fact that we all made it this far, and still share a thread that ties us together. And frankly, it’s just nice to sit in a room full of people who knew you before life got so complicated.
So… don’t wait for the 50th. Come to the next one. You’ll be glad you did.
