I’m loathe to admit it, but … my high school reunion is rapidly approaching. And I am not going. I was thinking about it for about five minutes and then I came to my senses. That may or may not be awful of me, but I’ve got some good reasons -- for me. And I bet a lot of you have some of these in common with me. Here are 7 reasons I'm not going to my high school reunion.
1. Travel
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Photo Credit: Box of Light
So, my reunion takes place on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Whaaat? I’m sorry, I’d rather not miss out on leftover Turkey sandwiches, Black Friday with the Other Half, and spending the holiday with my folks. No way. To travel way too many hours for an inevitably awkward situation? NO.
2. I Don’t Want to See You
No, really. I’m of the opinion that four years of awkward adolescence don’t necessarily require a lifetime commitment. If you haven’t remained friends with the people you knew in high school for the past ten or more years, well, that says something. However, I promise this is not as cold-hearted as it seems. You see--
3. We’re Friends on Facebook Anyway
See, I like many of my former classmates. And what’s going to happen at a reunion is, we’re going to hang out for a couple of hours, we’re going to exchange Facebooks, emails, and phone numbers, and then we’re going to go Facebook, email, and perhaps call each other. If you are in my town or I am in your town, we’ll hang. But we can do that right now! And it doesn’t cost me gas money and heavily discounted holiday items.
4. Nothing in Common
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Photo Credit: Jane Diamond
This relates to some of the other reasons as well, but deserves it’s own little category. I didn’t have anything in common with a lot of the people I went to school with -- I was one of THOSE kids. Everybody changes, but I figure that I don’t have many common bonds with a lot of them, and may have lost what commonality I had with others. After all, growing up takes a lot out of you.
5. Crazy Competition
I don’t want to play that game. You know the game. Everybody competing over how their lives have turned out, what they’ve done, what they do, and what they have. Nothing is sacred, everything’s up for grabs. You had a baby? I had twins. You got married here? I got married on Mars. NO.
6. Return to Cliqueville
I know it’s going to happen. It might be subtler and more insidious, but it’ll happen. As soon as everyone’s together in a room, all the cliques are going to form. To some degree, everyone will act exactly as they did back then, from the arrogant jock to the prissy rich girl to the weird kid in the corner. I’m including myself there, it happens to me even when I just think about the whole thing.
7. The More Things Change
…the more they stay the same. Even forgetting the cliques, getting together with a large portion of your past can bring out the worst. You can lose your self confidence, become insecure, and start hating just the way you did back then. If you were popular, maybe that doesn’t scare you, but if you were on the fringe, you know the thought is just a little bit too terrifying.
But I have decided that I’m totally going to the reunion after this one. Maybe I’m overreacting anyway. What do you think, did you go to your high school reunion? Do you have any regrets or would I be surprised if I gave it a try?
Top Photo Credit: newspaper_guy Mike Orazzi
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why don't you want to go to your high school reunion?
- Honestly, I'm just not interested in reliving high school memories. It feels like a chapter I've closed, and I'm okay with that.
- Aren't you curious about how your classmates turned out?
- Sure, I'm curious, but that's what social media is for! I can catch up on Facebook or Instagram without the awkward small talk.
- Aren't reunions a good way to network?
- They can be, but I prefer to network in environments where we have shared current interests, not just shared past experiences.
- Do you feel like you're missing out if you skip it?
- Not really. I've kept in touch with the people I care about. The rest is just nostalgia, and I'm not particularly nostalgic.
- Is there something specific you dislike about reunions?
- The idea of comparing life achievements doesn't sit well with me. Life isn't a competition, yet reunions can sometimes feel like one.