the fountain of yute

In approximately one month and one day, my high school reunion will take place and a group of 60 somethings will get together to reminisce (it now takes several of us to come up with one singular memory or a name from the past), dance, sing karaoke, sing our alma mater, stare at name tags when we don't recognize one another, and hopefully feel 16 again.

The time machine is a reality and it works every five years when we get together with our classmates and think back to the "good old days" (and not when dinosaurs walked the earth as my children are so fond of saying) when life was simpler, less expensive, less demanding, and more circumscribed--something I am beginning to think wasn't all that bad. Our hair may be thinning (or gone), our figures may not be so svelte or may be proving that gravity exists, our teeth may or may not be our own, our memories may be fading in and out like a bad connection on a cell phone, our eyes may squint even with reading glasses intact, but we're glad to be in each other's company thinking "back in the day" but catching up with the present.

Much of what was important during our teen-age years is no longer so and we have become more forgiving, more tolerant, less judgmental. Most of us are no longer running for prom queen, trying to capture fame with a touchdown, or feel academically superior. Mostly we've mellowed and realize that good friends are important in achieving the good life. I for one will be glad to be in the company of so many friends. We went through a lot together--growing pains, being pains, experiencing pains--as we went slip-sliding through our teens and high school. We were there for each other then and we'll be here for each other on October 27th. Some things never change and isn't that great!