Flashbacks - "72 Woo Woo Woo"

Well - on this my 50th post - I'm pleased to write that I did 'snap out of it' and had a great time yesterday at the All Class Reunion aka Homecoming 2010 at Sierra High School in Whittier, CA.

The tough part was the drive - as I'm still dealing with some back discomfort.  The chiropractic adjustments have been helpful.  There are also some muscle spasm issues and I can't seem to find the right combination of relief; ice vs heat, acetaminophen vs ibuprofen.  Today I added a tight elastic back wrap and a therapeutic magnet.  If something doesn't start working - I may have to resort to wine vs whiskey.  It's getting old....

...Speaking of old...nothing signifies how quickly time passes quite like a class reunion - 38 years in the making.  It's an amazing phenomenon.

There are those who look exactly the same as they did on the day they graduated.

Then there are those who even when you see their name typed next to their yearbook picture - hardly resemble themselves.  It's like they picked up the wrong name tag.  Maybe we were getting "punked" and they were actors only pretending to be Sierra classmates. 

Then there are the majority of people where the connection from past to present is made with just a brief moment visiting our brain spot that stores the long term memory.  Then it all comes back - the smile, the voice, the nuances that made them unique. 

It was a great opportunity to really get to know some classmates on a different and deeper level.  In 'those' days - many factors dictated popularity and status.  Some were in our control - some were not.

We were too young to really understand the complexity of everyone's private issues and circumstances.  We were all busy trying to cope every day - in whatever way worked for us.

Now - most of the pretenses are gone and we're grateful to be alive and be together.  It's a product of time...and of timing.

Then you get to see that special teacher - the one that when you were aged 16 - seemed to be an ancient relic who didn't understand.

You show them the tag adorned with your name and senior picture - and they are gracious enough to say they remember you.

You reminisce - and apologize for any teen-aged angst or wacked-out hormone-induced behaviour - and they comfort you by saying that there is nothing to forgive.  They did understand.
 
The dynamics of time have changed things - and you feel less like a student and more like a peer and friend.

Pretty amazing!  Thanks everyone for making it a great time!  Let's do it again soon!