It was with a touch of reluctance that I attended my 30 year class reunion Saturday night. I wasn’t sure I was going to go because Tessa had a sectional game that night and I knew I wanted to see that. They actually bumped the game to an earlier time so that we could fully enjoy the downpour of rain and completely avoid playing when it might not be raining. Just kidding! As someone with a number of years’ experience coaching outdoor diving, I know how hard predicting weather can be. I also know how difficult it can be to reschedule events. So, we try to play through, hoping the heavy stuff isn’t going to come down for a while. So, after freezing in the pouring rain earlier than expected, I had no excuse to not attend.

As we approached the restaurant/bar that was hosting the event, I was actually nervous. Seriously, I went to an expensive, private, college-prep high school and am currently working in our local high school cafeteria. Hardly bragging material here. And despite my mantra of there being nothing wrong with an honest wage for a hard day’s work, I was maybe a little down on myself. What was my selling point? Hey, I married well? (I did.) Or better yet, I have a blog…that I do for free…and I love it, so isn’t that great? Hmmm?? Still not feeling satisfied. As we were parking the car, I turned to Travis and said, “What if it sucks? Should we have a code word that means we want to leave?” Travis, in usual Travis candor, says, “You turn to me discreetly and say, ‘This sucks. Let’s go.’ And we’re out.” He may never be an international spy, but man, I love this guy. So, in we went.

And I had a lot of fun! Although, Marc, you should have changed your name tag to your Chris’ name (identical twin) and acted like an idiot. Then I could have had some great stories to tell. And Jeff, we need a blog about the trauma of having a last name that starts with a W, and always being last in line. But, we definitely got away with more. And Ann and Anne, it was deceptive to sit together at the check in table. I was convinced I had to have one of your names wrong. Because, what are the chances of two Ann’s doing check in? And guess what? We didn’t talk much about jobs. We talked about our interests, kids, hobbies. Bill and Allison even talked about grandkids. We had aged, some better than others. I’m with the others, but I no longer care. It was interesting and fun. And next time we will wear sandwich boards with our names on it because nobody (besides me) had their reading glasses on.

I am still not convinced that these are the people who made me who I am, but I am glad I went back to see the adults they became. It was a fun visit. And now when Travis says, “What does Jimmy have to say?” at least he has met him once. And special thanks to Jim, Ann, Pat, and Jeff for closing out the night with us. And thanks to the planners. It was a good night.

So, go to your reunion. Just set up a discreet phrase to let each other know when it’s time to leave. Hopefully, you’ll never have to use it.