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Our 50th was virtual due to COVID but I've been in touch with several high school friends via Facebook for several years. More interestingly, I recently joined a Facebook group for people from my hometown, and actually connected with my first and second "girlfriends", from 4th and 6th grade, that was and 63 and 61 years ago in California. As it turns out all of us are still married, with grandkids, and living in different states now.
Yes, but this is a group that's over 65, and probably many with co-morbidities. Most states are putting them right after healthcare and other front-line workers.
Not Arizona. I'm in phase 1C, which is not as immediate as it might sound.
It would not surprise me in the least if local, city, county and state workers, as well as everybody working in an industry that has a union, all got the vaccine before I do. They have pull. I don't. The fact that the teachers union had all their young and healthy members inserted before over-65-with-co-morbidities proves that pull is alive and well in this state.
Our 55th is coming up in January - a ZOOM Reunion. One of us had an old list and used the computer to find nearly every one else.
We were a small class of twenty-one graduates and most of us have remained in touch all these years. A small group of five to seven of us travel to have lunch together nearly every year or sometimes a weekend together with our spouses. Since many of us have long-lasting marriages the spouses know each other also so it works out socially pretty well. It's been satisfying to me to have life-long friends. They're people who know me like no one else ever will.
Our "little class on the prairie" has done well from my perspective. We were raised with old-fashioned values that have worked for us. There's been drama along the way as is expected - some really great stories.
But I'd say our redeeming quality has been persistence. Some of us have had great monetary success, others sufficient. But none of us live in poverty and from what I've seen over the years most have those characteristics you can't buy. There appears to be an ability to feel content at our age. And years ago we began letting go of our sense of competition with each other. Or at least not inflicting it on each other anymore. That tenth year reunion was just the worst!
Only one of us is gone. He survived the Vietnam War to come home, marry, have two children, open a business and be killed in an auto crash in a Minnesota snow storm. Some reunions we've visited his grave and had a small memorial there.
Material things, oh yeah. I've wanted a few to make me happy. A Minnesota pond to swim in, a boat, motorcycles, many flower gardens, camping, Our Victorian money-pit, travel.
That's all icing on the cake of love, friends, a sense of worth through work, good health and health care, time to rest and ponder and well-behaved neighbors. Those took a lifetime to achieve.
I kept in contact with a few friends from high school and that's enough. Maybe small town high school reunions where all the students knew each other would be more interesting. I went to my 10th reunion, that was enough - quite boring.
I really enjoyed high school, but it didn't take long before it just wasn't important to me. Life after HS was even better.
I certainly wouldn't bother to travel for a reunion, Covid or no Covid, unless there was something else in the area that I really wanted to see or do. Or, if I were visiting family and the dates happened to coincide.
I heard from a friend that there wasn't much of a turn out for the 40th. She and a handful of others ended up leaving early and going elsewhere, ending with the plan to meet every five years. That didn't materialize, but her funeral was huge. It was like a reunion of sorts, Rock band and all. I honestly didn't remember many of the people that talked to me. I just pretended that I did.
I think from OP's post that he's not really wanting to catch up with old friends so much as he wants to say look at me! I made better life choices and I win! He may make a few people jealous, but the people that have done well and have good self esteem are not going to engage in a game of one upmanship. Someone talking about their cars does not impress me. Same with name droppers.
I chose not to have children, but I can see how much people love and value their children. Those people won't think world travel, sports cars, etc., are a good substitute. And people do manage to attain wealth, travel, etc., along with having children.
As for old TV shows .....the Hart's were forever having guns pointed at them and in peril of being killed. LOL!
Not quite at my 50th yet, I have never been to one. Mainly because they were the "get dressed up, spend big bucks, drink champagne at the Golden Chateau DeVille Deluxe banquet hall" type of deal, and I was watching my wallet.
I would suggest having a minimally priced, cokes and snacks type of event in the afternoon, maybe at the old HS cafeteria, THEN put on the la-di-da affair in the evening for those who want to put on the dog. Maybe $5-10 per person for the afternoon do, sky's the limit for the evening affair.
All my good friends from the Class of 1963 (57-1/2 years ago) are dead, except one who is in a federal prison for bilking the IRS of millions of dollars with phony tax returns. I've thought of contacting him but am afraid of getting on the government's law enforcement radar.
I'm the youngster in tis post - Class of 82 - about 83 of us in the graduating class I seem to remember. I left home in
'84 and never moved back to Southern MI - a large majority are still in the area but other's like me - go home to visit family and see old friends when we can. In 2017 we did a 35th Reunion Cruise - with spouses there were 12 of us - would have been 13, but one couldn't make it with the sudden death of his mother. We had a good time and it was great to catch up with some of those that don't go back home when I do. I hope we just have a bonfire and cookout for our 40th in 2022. I'll put a bug in their (the gals that usually set these up) ear. I'll travel then to it for sure.
There originally looked to be enough interest on Facebook to warrant having one, but as it got closer, interest waned and it didn't happen.
I'm not that close to anyone in my class anymore.
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Those took a lifetime to achieve.
