For this week’s Elli-torial I had an initial plan but decided to call an audible after recent events. That recent event is the announcement of my 10-year high school reunion. During Wednesday’s The Drew Show, which you can listen to every Monday-Friday from 6-10 am or at the link below, I talked about how my high school reunion is trying to be set up and my ultimate dismissal of the event much to Drew’s dismay. Though I look back at my high school years being some of the most impactful years of my life, I have ZERO interest in attending this reunion. But why is that exactly? If I had an enjoyable high school experience, why would the sound of a reunion be so cringe-inducing? That is what I will be going over this week. High school reunions: When are they cool? Who are they for? Should you go? Will people remember me? Do I have a shot with them now? All of these questions will be answered so dust off that yearbook and join me as we go down memory lane and arrive at “Dude we should’ve died” Boulevard.
High school reunions, the “Where are they now” recap episode of your life. A chance for you to catch up with kids you used to skip class to get stoned with in between Econ and PE or to see if your high school crush is married. A time where for one night every decade, you get to relive your high school hierarchy and reminisce about how you totally got screwed in Mrs. D’s English class (Yeah I haven’t forgotten). High school can be remembered as some of the best years of your life, or your fall into villainy arc. With a high school reunion looming, the first question I asked myself was “Isn’t too early for a reunion?”
Now 10 years does feel like a fine entry point to start reunions, but it still feels too close to graduation, especially in the day and age of social media. For the most part, the people you went to high school with are most likely on Instagram living their best lives, or on Facebook posting political memes that make your eyes roll faster than tires in the Daytona 500. With all of these ways to still be at arm’s length in their lives, a 10-year reunion still feels too fresh. For me, when I think of a reunion I think of an older crowd reliving the glory days. Maybe late 30s to mid 40s, time for everyone to truly grow and walk their path in life. 10 years most of us are still in our 20s and are still trying to figure out what the hell we’re supposed to be doing. You could maybe sell me on a 15-year reunion, but 10 still feels too fresh and feels more like a way for people to see if someone got hotter in their 20s. Spoiler, I did.
So we’ve covered the prime reunion time, lets to get down to what this is really about. Flaunting your success over your former peers. Let me give you a scenario: You’re doing relatively well in your career, got yourself a nice home, and have even started having a family. You’re proud of yourself and rightfully so. Now wouldn’t it be even sweeter if you got to rub that into people you felt were as we used to say at west “hella shady?” The answer is an emphatic DUH. The reunion is for people who want to show off how awesome their lives are and how much they’ve developed and matured over the years all while still being the toxic teenager they were. I might be jaded, but the idea behind a reunion feels low-key self serving. That said if I was a bit more successful, impossible I know, would I be more inclined to go?… yeah probably.
This isn’t to dismiss the idea that people genuinely miss their high school friends and want a night of nostalgia. A lot of kids from my class were just that; genuine, authentic, and overall fun to be around. We also had a lot of you toxic mofos running amuck, which again chef don’t judge, but I’m doing fine skipping through your wall of propaganda memes you post on your story every day I don’t need to hear it from your mouth. I feel that this is getting a little on the negative side, so as a palette cleanser, why don’t we focus on the positive parts of the reunion. Reconnecting.
Reconnecting can really be the chicken noodle soup for the soul. A high school reunion is getting the opportunity to catch up with old friends and acquaintances while also bridging the gap that time has left in between you. During my years of high school, I had a friend that I would speak to almost every day. Whether it was in class, at lunch, or on the plethora of messaging apps we had on our phones, we would talk and hang out all the time. College started and I stayed in town (S’Go DOGS) while they went out of town for school. The first year or so we would text each other what was going on in our lives and would visit one another given the opportunity. As life happens, new friendships and relationships blossom, and over time, communication came farther and farther apart. This isn’t to say the friendship ended on bad terms, but I couldn’t tell you the last time we spoke. The reunion is the perfect situation where you get to see where life took them. Seeing friends not just succeed, but be authentically happy is a treasure. I have been very fortunate to get to be close with a lot of the friends I went to high school with, mostly because we all actually grew up in elementary and middle school. That’s partially why I don’t see the need for me to go to our 10-year reunion, but getting to catch up with Buttmunch (Yes that has been their name in my phone since freshman year in 2008) would be fun and nostalgic. Not only that but depending on how their lives have turned out, you could very well get an opportunity to better your own situation.
Another benefit to the reunion is seeing where exactly life took your former sesh circles. To some, this could help you reopen doors of opportunity and could even help you with possibly a change in career or clientele. Maybe the guy you sat next to in math remembers you being the homie and hooks you up with someone who needs your services, whatever that may be. The reunion can basically be seen as a job fair in that sense. A way to help each other secure that bag so by the next reunion, the whip is a little nicer and the suit a tad more expensive. Seeing as the reunion is a way to either reconnect with old friends or a business opportunity is entirely up to you, much like if you should go or not.
The real and final question to all of this is simply, should you attend? I personally feel no desire to see people I can see at sequoia every Thanksgiving eve. High school was fun, but I was also a skinny, gawky, and awkward stoner who doesn’t need memories of my ungodly levels of cringe to come flushing back into my brain. But if you miss the feeling of feeling invincible, being able to talk about the last house party RAGER, and the people you sit next to in the quad before you got a dress code violation, then I think the Class of 2012 high school reunion is something you’ll love.
So here’s a toast to the class of 2012. Cheers, I’ll catch you at sequoia with my best “Wow that’s incredible” face as I try to remember what you just told me.
