Why I Didn’t Attend My High School Reunion
Last weekend was my 10 Year High School Reunion. If the Liberty class of 2004 had a 5 year reunion, I was either uninformed or oblivious. This was the first reunion I'd ever heard about.
I've had people ask me if I was going. This post will be pretty straightforward. The answer is no. No, this former high school valedictorian would not be attending her alma mater's reunion. 10 year or otherwise.
I think many people are surprised with the directness of this response, so I decided the topic was worthy of a blog post.
5 Reasons Why I Didn't Attend My High School Reunion
I am not friends with anyone from high school. I seriously don't talk to a single person that I attended high school with. Why would I pay to go to an event full of people I haven't talked to in 10 years. That is awkward.
All of my friends went to different schools. From the above statement you might assume that I have no friends. This is not the case. Most of my friends attended other schools in the region (or were in a different grade), so they would not be attending this event. I'd rather spend my money traveling to see these actual friends.
I have no fond memories to reminisce about with my fellow graduates. High school was not a pleasant experience for me. I was not popular, I was not a star athlete, I was not stylish, I did not have a boyfriend, and I did not have a car. I had my academics and my future. All of my energy and attention went into these 2 things. I viewed fun as a roadblock to success. This doesn't make for a humorous recollection of my foolish youthfulness with my rebellious comrades.
I do not have anyone to bring with me. The only thing worse than going to a party full of people you don't know is doing so alone. I'm not one to sulk in singleness. I even enjoy going out to eat by myself at times. But voluntarily walking in to an uncomfortable and awkward environment all alone is just straight up unnecessary.
I am not who I once was. Or who I once thought I'd be. I think this goes without saying. I was class valedictorian with a full scholarship to an out-of-state university and a bright and shiny future career as a naval officer. Ten years later I'm a college drop-out and single mother living with my parents. I'm not embarrassed by my life because that sentence is not how I see myself. I am a miracle whose life is full of undeserved blessings. But you can't deny the blatant difference between my aspirations and my reality. I know that our lives rarely turn out as we imagine at age 18, but I think it's safe to say that mine took an unusually drastic detour in the grand scheme of things.
I am not embarrassed by my present reality, but neither do I deny it. Why would I place myself in a position of having to justify my life to a room full of faces I can't remember and people I don't know? Why would I pay money for that kind of torture?
I'm not bashing the idea of a high school reunion because, for most people, they are truly something special. A time to reunite with long-lost friends and laugh at countless memories. But I don't have friends and I don't have memories. I probably would have come home from the reunion drenched in tears.
I feel a little bit guilty because there are people who can't attend their high school reunions. They'd love to meet up with old friends, but live too far away or believe the venue to be inconvenient. I could go if I wanted to, so it saddens me that there are those who can't. But to them I'd say this: treasure your memories, for they are far more precious than you know them to be.
We each have different life experiences, so we each tend to treasure different aspects of life. It doesn't mean that one of us is wrong, it means we're unique. Life would be boring if we all loved high school and the potential for a reunion. So whether high school memories bring you laughter or tears, know that you are not alone.