What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Monday, September 15, 2014

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

13 comments:

  1. I haven't been to any of mine and I don't intend to, ever. But I think after a certain number of years, it gets to be the same people each time and maybe not fun anymore - or at least that is what I've heard from a few people who have gone to theirs. Maybe that's not how everyone feels, just my opinion. As far as the kiddo growing up, I hear you! My Otter is about to move out of the house into an apartment, I'm glad for her but I'm sad for me and hubby. I keep telling myself that she's got to get out on her own and learn to fly. I know she'll be fine, but I suddenly understand how my dad felt and why he wanted me to stay home a couple of years longer!!

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  2. hmmm... Our class's has NEVER had a reunion, but now they are trying to plan one for our 'BIGGIE' that's coming up next year- I'm still undecided on whether I'll go or not! :-/

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  3. I've never been to one of my class reunions either. I had friends. I had fun. I did stuff. but I also couldn't wait to get the hell out of the place. Not very inclined to go back and relive my glory days. The best is always ahead of you!

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  4. only a few of my close friends are still in the area...I would only recognize others if they still looked exactly as they did back in 1972

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  5. I've never been to a single reunion. And we've had many many reunions. And you know what? I never went for just about the same reasons you mention! You've talked me in to attending the 50th year reunion though. I have a few years to drop a few pounds :)

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  6. I've also never been to any of mine. I always lived so far away from where I grew up that it included a plane trip, hotel etc and really wasn't worth it. I sometimes wish I would have gone to at least one, but hey life goes on and as the years pass I don't really remember too many of them and I can guarantee that not many of them remember me. Yours is different since you still live in the area and yes you could have been on TV!!!

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  7. I went to my 10 year reunion. It was fine but I could pass on the future ones. I only went to my high school for 2 and a half years. We moved so much I really had no long time connection with my classmates. I keep in touch with two and this point. Go next time..wouldn't hurt and it sounds like you missed seeing some long ago friends.

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  8. I'd sooner stick pins in my eyes than go back to any of my schools, I don't have any fond memories. But maybe I'd consider it if I was now a multimillionaire.....

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  9. I attended the 10 yr and it was just as you described. Quick hellos and not much in common to speak about. I did not choose to attend the 20 or 30 and I have NO regrets. I was only friends with a handful of people and they are STILL my friends today. The rest I would consider aquaintances. Make peace wtih it and move on.

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  10. I went to my 20 year reunion which involved a long trip, but at least I could combine with a visit to my parents. I hung out with two ladies who I had stayed in touch with. Now I am Facebook friends with anyone I still care to be in touch with. Oh, and my favorite fellow graduate is my DH of 36 years and I do see him fairly often :)

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  11. I have never gone nor do I ever plan to. I talk to one girl from high school (occasionally) and the rest I could care less about. Why waste a weekend with a bunch of strangers? Maybe if I had gone to a smaller school, but we had 500 in our graduating class and really, why would I want to hang out all weekend with strangers?

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  12. I hate to think I'm "that old," but I had my 40th reunion 2 years ago. I agree with you to GO.....I've been to all of mine, yet I was not one of the "in" crowd. You need to see these other people as adults now, not the kids they were in school. You get to the point that it hardly matters how close you were back in the day. You have a shared history of a place and time. I rarely regret what I have done, but what I have not done.

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  13. I've never gone to any, and don't plan to go. I've kept in contact with a few people , but not many. Sometimes you just need to sit one out. At least you can see all the pictures and sort of feel like you were there!

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