Twenty-five years

Twenty-five years.

Sigh.

Twenty-five years seems like a long time.

At the same time, it seems like… nothing.

Summer vacation used to seem like an ETERNITY. But I liked it that way. Now I can hardly wait for school to start up again so my chilluns can start their proper learnin’ again. And get some structure and routine back in their lives.

And I don’t even get a summer vacation. Pooh! What’s up with that?

Advent – err, waiting for Santa’s arrival -- used to seem never-ending, too. That Advent Calendar took FOREVER to get through. Sometimes we would even peek ahead and carefully open a door and close it again. But my mother could always tell.

Now by the time I even contemplate getting an advent calendar it is already Easter.

And my kids wouldn’t want to do an advent calendar now anyway. I would be the one opening the doors to see the doofy picture behind door number whatever. And no one would care if I opened doors early and then made a feeble attempt to shut them again.

OK. My point….

It was my 25th high school reunion this past weekend.

I have NEVER gone to a high school reunion before. And it is unlikely I would ever go to one if I lived elsewhere. But I happen to be living back in the town where I grew up - (NEVER, EVER in a million years did I ever think THAT would happen!) And a bunch of my close friends who now live in California, Washington state, New York, DC – all over this great big nation! – were coming back for our reunion. Some of them I hadn’t seen since graduation!

Wow.

All together again.

I grew up in a small town and went to the same school from Nursery School through 12th grade. As did several others. And many started in Kindergarten or First grade. So we have known each other pretty much our whole lives. Or at least had spent most of our growing up years together. So, we knew each other pretty darn well. And it was a small school. My graduating class had 81 people in it, the largest class the school had ever seen.

I don’t think it’s really all that often you know people from the beginning of school all the way through. Or that you go to the same school all the way through. Or that you live in the same place all the way through school.

Not only were we reminiscing about high school. We were remembering episodes from Middle School. And Elementary School. And even Kindergarten and Nursery School. Different people remembered different things, and they would trigger memories and more memories. And laughter. And horror. And nostalgia. Or all three.

Depending on the memory, of course.

I am so glad I went. I reconnected with so many classmates from my past this weekend. Some, a sparse few, I see fairly frequently, whether I like them or not, because we live in the same town and it is small. Some I email with and talk to regularly and see occasionally, whenever they happen to come home to visit family. Some I have only seen sporadically. Some I have not seen – AT ALL – since we walked across that stage and received our diplomas 25 years ago.

There is a big difference between 17 or 18 and 42 or 43. At the same time, there is no difference between them. We are now middle-aged. Many have teenagers, even college-aged students. While some have toddlers or were even expecting. Some were heavier, balder, taller, smaller, sexier, grayer, more wrinkled. Some seemed just the same.

None were kids anymore. All had professions, identities, family photos, and stories. LOTS of stories.

The weekend went by in a flash. Chock full of memories, images, catching up, laughter, tears, glasses of wine, cups of coffee, hugs, and lots of food. In some ways it was overwhelming, too much to process in such a short period of time. In other ways it was not enough.

To see someone once every twenty-five years is indeed a strange proposition. To see people with whom you grew up and who know you backwards and forwards, inside and out, after so many years is even stranger. In some ways, it is like you never left. In others, it is like you have gone too far.

Twenty-five years is an eternity. And it is nothing. All at the same time.