A few weeks ago I went to my high school reunion. It was a big one and people came from all over the country to attend, from a Park Avenue entrepreneur to a southerner sporting turquoise jewelry and a fringed leather jacket to someone wearing an authentic high school jersey ripped to shreds. I hadn’t seen (or thought about) most of them since high school and boy, did they change! I was grateful for name tags that included their pictures from the yearbook.
It is often said that women fare better than men. That was true in many cases. Some of the men melted into a puddle of graying paunchiness while it was obvious that the women had tended to their health and appearance over the years.
Then there were those, both men and women, who seemed to age better than the others. They aged with grace and enthusiasm, living alongside their grief from loss as well as booms and dives in careers. They stayed grounded and steady throughout the storms of life. They were not broken or diminished, but maintained a zest for life and its opportunities, talking of travel and adventures and the chance to help others. They had intimate relationships with family and friends and enjoyed the excitement of possibilities.
I couldn’t have predicted in high school who would emerge years later with renewed energy and enthusiasm. I didn’t even know if I would be one of them. What was the common thread? I’m not sure, but they all seemed to have a set of beliefs that kept them going and invested, finding joy whenever possible. The reunion was one of those milestones that marks the passage of time and highlights the precious opportunity to transform ourselves and our lives.
It was great seeing you!! You are beautiful inside and out!!
It was wonderful to see you, too, Janis!
Love this! And I did go to my 10 year!! Not sure I’ll go to anymore, but I did get a date out of my 10 year!
Hi Ellie, It was great to see you after all these years and you are a wonderful example of going through life with your beautiful writings,your art and your zest for life experiences. It was a fun reunion and it was great to see you!
Thanks, Sheri. Great to see you, too!
Remember when you wanted to be the ghost but had to do a cartwheel and I couldn’t teach you. We searched the city and found a teacher who could. God bless her. And God bless you for who you are. Love mom
“ puddle of graying paunchiness”
Not mincing words are you! And I certainly can’t disagree with many of your comments. My observation is that I salute those who made the effort to show up after 50 years. I observed such great enthusiasm.The diversity of thought, the approach to life our classmates have now after almost 70 years of experience was incredibly enlightening to me. We have all evolved in so many ways, taken a compass worth of directions and reached where we are today for “ better or worse.” We all made the effort to show up and celebrate the fact that we could show up and celebrate. It was a fun and enlightening weekend. And Ellie, you helped make that special weekend a worthwhile and excellent time well spent. Thank you!!!
Well said, Skip! You brought up some very relevant thoughts. Thank you for your insight. Please know that it is never my intention to hurt anyone’s feelings. Dialogue and new ideas enrich a discussion so thanks for checking in.