Heading back to High School

by Donna MacMeans

If there's any question that school will be starting soon, just try dropping into your local office supply store for a quick purchase. More reliable than geese heading south, bright yellow school buses practicing their routes, and long lines at Office Max signal school is about to begin. (And I haven't even addressed the resounding cheer of mothers across America).

Sooner or later all those precious darlings will graduate high school and eagerly race for independence and a bright future. Then, years pass. Couples marry, couples divorce. Those precious darlings have precious darlings of their own and then...sometime after the lapse of many decades. Those same high school graduates race back to home for their high school reunion.

I attended my very first high school reunion earlier this month. Not the first year after high school, mind you. (Grin) When I told a writing friend that I was going to my (cough, cough) reunion, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "I wasn't even born then."

It's a miracle that she walked out of that coffee shop.

My high school, Greenhills High School, no longer exists. The building is there, but it's used for other purposes. The high school has been reduced to a memorabilia room in the town community center. (sigh)

But we still have memories...and friendships that quickly rekindle even after so many years.

Here's a photo of me and my best friend from high school. We went away to college together and lived in the same dorm. I hadn't seen her for about 35 years until this reunion.

Many of those present said this was the best of the reunions they had attended. Apparently, one has to wait a certain number of years for old wounds and memories to dim. I'm glad I joined the group when everyone was there just to celebrate good times.

We ate. We drank. We reminisced. And we danced as a couple of glum DJs played songs from our youth.

Now here's the problem with dancing. I LOVE to dance. I met my husband on the dance floor of a Cleveland bar and I fell in love when I learned he had no objections (then) to being the first out on the dance floor. I dance with enthusiasm - the music just moves me. I've had complete strangers come up and compliment me on my dancing (I think it was a compliment...does "you sure know how to dance" qualify?) It's happened several times but I have this fear that I look like Elaine on that Seinfeld episode. Here's a YouTube clip in case you need a reminder (Sorry, couldn't embed.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xi4O1yi6b0

The other thing about reunions...there's lots of photos and light bulbs flashing, and if I'm dancing - that provides lots of opportunities for blackmail worthy photos. The disc jockeys - the only two men in suits in the place - keyed up KC and the Sunshine Band. I believe I was doing an imitation of my Zumba class instructor who leans back during class and yells: SHAKE SOMETHING! Thank Heavens this is a photo and not video (grin).

And so my question to all of you who have picked yourself off the floor from laughing so hard after viewing my photo...Have you ever attended a high school reunion? Good memories to share? Bad? Blackmail-worthy moments? If you haven't attended one, why not? Let's all go back to High School. I'll send a book from my backlist (your choice) to someone posting a comment.