What I Didn't Do This Weekend

This weekend was my high school reunion.  And I didn't go.  I was okay with that - it was my decision.  I had helped plan a few of them and it was hard hard work and someone was never happy about one thing or another.  Then, at the actual function, I would find myself just sitting there kind of by myself because since I was in a room full of people I knew in high school  - I turned into INTROVERT Shara.  Quiet, on the sidelines, no dates, no dances, no parties - just hard work, studying, putting that school newspaper to print every week, crushing HARD on a certain boy that would just be my "friend" and keeping in my tight circle of very close friends that were all a year behind me in school so therefore would not be at the reunion.  After I got married, The Breadman went to a couple of my reunions and EVERYONE knew HIM because he went to the same school district, but he moved away once he started high school.  But they all remembered HIM and visited with HIM and one "boy" that I had gone to school with since THIRD grade said to The Breadman, "Oh, is this your wife?" and then introduced himself to ME.  HIS CLASSMATE.  Hrumph.  

I have my Senior Picture on Facebook right now.  One boy from high school commented - "Well, Hello there!": then sent me a PM asking me why he didn't notice me in high school.  Pretty much the same reason no other boy noticed me - I was either their friend or other people thought that I was dating those friends.  (Despite my grumbling - I had a great time at that age - I loved being the Newspaper Editor.  I skated thousands of miles at the Roller Rink.  I had all the different colored DeeCee shirts and painters paints.  I had every color of pompom for my skates.  I saw ALL the movies. I went to the Drive-In every Saturday night.  I had the best friends in the world.  I laughed SO much.  I wrote twenty page notes to my best friend.  I had sleepovers with boys and girls on my birthday. I had a lot of fun times and so many very happy memories.)

Anyway - I made the decision to not go based on who I could see that had signed up to attend- mostly people that I knew in school, but only because we had a class together.  The kind of people you see at the grocery store now and say, "Oh, hi, how are you?  How have you been?" but neither of you really slow down or actually stop to talk.  You just keep on moving as you visit with a "nice to see you" as you grab your milk and skeedaddle.  I could see me making the rounds and saying a quick hello to everyone and then having four hours to kill in the corner.  I also am not really in  a place I want to be right now in my personal. life.  So many life changes happening - the kid growing up, job changes, life changes.  I just didn't want to go into all that.  So, I decided not to go.  And, I was very much okay with that.

But then.  On Sunday, the photos started showing up on Facebook.  All the people I knew were coming.  But then SO many faces from my past - seven people from my first grade class.  Friends from Junior High and High School.  People I hadn't seen in years. I was suddenly very, very sad that I didn't go.  But, there isn't much I can do about it now.  I am looking at all the photos and enjoying seeing how much some people have changed and how some people have not changed at all.  Man, I wish I would have gone.  

I tell you this story because if you have a high school reunion coming up and you are thinking about not going - GO.  I think it would be better to think you wasted your time after it if it was a bomb, than wish you had gone after it is too late.  

*The 19 Kids and Counting film crew was there, so I will be looking forward to that episode when it airs.  I could have been o TV AGAIN!  :D