Have you ever been to your school reunion?

R

Rose65

Senior Member
Location
United Kingdom
If so, how did you get on? It can be quite an experience so I've heard, to see school friends and indeed enemies, years later. Yet it would also be interesting to see what happened to everyone. Curiosity plays a big part.

I suppose there must be a tendency to compare yourself and achievements - or lack of as in my case. I would worry about having put on weight and looking decrepit, in case others look amazing!
So I've never been to a reunion because I felt too intimidated. The idea of it frightened me and was not worth the stress.
 

Rose65 said:
If so, how did you get on? It can be quite an experience so I've heard, to see school friends and indeed enemies, years later. Yet it would also be interesting to see what happened to everyone. Curiosity plays a big part.

I suppose there must be a tendency to compare yourself and achievements - or lack of as in my case. I would worry about having put on weight and looking decrepit, in case others look amazing!
So I've never been to a reunion because I felt too intimidated. The idea of it frightened me and was not worth the stress.
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Well... I've never been...but I understand it's those who THINK they look fantastic who go... most of the rest of us wouldn't be bothered...

I remember when Friends reunited first appeared online, we spent a lot of time looking to see who was still alive from school.. there was many old names who signed up.. and updated what they were doing with their lives.. this was about 30 years or more after we left school.. some had gone onto great things... those who'd been troublemakers were acting like they had been angels... and some were a real surprise. One of my best friends at school, who was probably the prettiest, as well as one of the cleverest..went onto marry just 3 years after we left school and spent her entire life up until that day working as cashier in a supermarket.. .nothing wrong with that, but it's not what we expected of her
 
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I've not been to any of my class reunions, no. I'd have to say that my main reason is that the people I kept in contact with and *wanted* to see again, I saw... no need for a preening show. I was just thinking a few days ago about how there were so many classmates I never even said two words to, so a reunion would have no purpose for me.

Funny thing... I *thought* about going to my 10th in 1985. I was even at the mall looking for fancy duds for the event. I looked into one of the clothing store windows and saw someone I knew. Well I knew her because of who she married and he was with her... otherwise I wouldn't have known my 28 year old classmate with all that gray in her hair. I never even said hello... just slinked away thinking "OMG, that was ROBIN!" Never desired to see what time did to anyone else after that.
 
I went to my 25 reunion. It was fun and I did see a few old friends. I also saw a few people that I remember from school, but I never really knew them very well. Overall it was fun and my wife and I enjoyed our time in the city, we were in Colorado Springs....nice city to visit anytime!
 
hollydolly said:
Well... I've never been...but I understand it's those who THINK they look fantastic who go... most of the rest of us wouldn't be bothered...

I remember when Friends reunited first appeared online, we spent a lot of time looking to see who was still alive from school.. there was many old names who signed up.. and updated what they were doing with their lives.. this was about 30 years or more after we left school.. some had gone onto great things... those who'd been troublemakers were acting like they had been angels... and some were a real surprise. One of my best friends at school, who was probably the prettiest, as well as one of the cleverest..went onto marry just 3 years after we left school and spent her entire life up until that day working as cashier in a supermarket.. .nothing wrong with that, but it's not what we expected of her
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There is a sadness, a woman who could have done so much. Life thwarts the best laid plans.
 
I went to the five year reunion but that has been it. I was a very different person by then and didn't enjoy reliving all that highschool crap. And once you get past the "hey, how are you?" part of the conversation it always circles back to highschool stories.
 
Went to my 50th high school reunion and had a fabulous time. Great seeing how we all aged and the stories of our lives thereafter. No one wanted to go home.

My 50th college reunion was a more formal affair, but a good time regardless. We did not have a 70th college reunion last year as it was almost impossible to get enough people together to settle on a specific place, and the death rate had climbed rather high.
 
I have been to all-and we have had A LOT! Enjoyed all of them. For those of you who were turned off at the 10,th,20th,30th,give the 50th a try. By then everyone has given up on all the pretense and it`s just a good time. Yes,it can be sad,as some are no longer with us,but it gives the opportunity to see some for what may be the last time.

We had a 55th picnic/BBQ back in August and I was surprised at how many are suffering with cancer. I am one of them,but at this point you would never know to look at me as I look fine and feel great! My friend Ginger is battling breast cancer but came anyway-bald as a cucumber but nobody cared. We were just so happy to see her! BTW,she and I go way,way back as her dad and my mom worked side by side at a (then) very small company before we were even born in 1950.

I have no doubt that there will be a 60th.
 
I went to a tiny Catholic school. There was only 23 kids in my graduating class. I'm disabled and travel is not easy, and home is 250 miles away. Plus, since the school was so small, they combined a bunch of class years together for one huge reunion. Most of them I have never met. Some were in the 5th grade when I graduated.
And quite frankly, I want to remember them when they were 17-18. Time is a cruel master. And I don't want to miss those that are no longer here.
 
I skipped the 10th but flew across the country for my 20th, 40th and 45th. 50th was canceled due to Covid, but there's a reunion this fall that I'm helping plan, and will be there come hell or high water.

At the 20th a lot were focused on one-upmanship and checking out who still looked good in their late 30s. By the 40th we were all nearing 60 and past those superficialities. We barely spoke of HS - just caught up on each other's lives.

Funny thing- at the 40th (which is now 14 years ago) a small group of us talked until the wee hours. We bonded over challenges we were facing like caring for elderly parents, navigating the transition to our children being adults, retirement considerations, etc. We've emailed and texted regularly since then. While the bulk of this group barely knew each other in HS, we now consider one another to be among our closest friends and closest confidantes.
 

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