I'm going to my 20th high school reunion next week. I live far away and will be flying in. I've been pretty much a stranger since graduation, but am curious to see some old faces, just for kicks. Any advice?

heartbeatocean said:

Don't go. You have nothing in common with those people anymore.

kidelrich said:

For my part, I wouldn't go cause I had little in common with them to begin with. Anyone I knew and liked in high school wouldn't go either.

I didn't go to my 10th for the same reason, I hated them all then, hate them even more now.

My best friend and I may go to the 20th though, we've been flipping around the idea of getting drunk off our asses and pretending we've become total losers.

jerseykrs said:

purplerein said:

CarrieMpls said:

Ditto for me...

My life is a high school reunion. No one ever went away. Were all still pretty much in touch.

kidelrich said:

That's probably good advice. I'm not sure why I'm going, but I feel really pulled to go. Maybe I'll find out why. I had no interest in my 10th (didn't go).

I have a feeling they're going to honor and emphasize all the sports heroes again that's what I heard they did at the 10th, because we won Girls State Basketball my senior year.

I also fear the same cliques will form up. I hate the idea of figuring out where to sit (which banquet table) when I get there.

But I like to remain open to strange experiences. I'd like to have an honest human connection, maybe speak to someone I never spoke to in high school. I want to see the social constructs break down a bit.

I've heard the popular kids actually married each other and some of the popular girls are now sisters-in-law (married brothers or something)

I've decided to dress punk.

kidelrich said:

The only thing they had in common with those people was Location in the first place.

Go if you want to go. Have fun. One thing people always see as sucess is escape. Those that still live in the hometown where they were born could use a little adventure even it is only vacariously.

Curiosity is a huge factor, I imagine...other than that I'd have no desire to spend a weekend with highschool classmates from 20 years ago.

Byron said:

Curiosity...

And...despite the fact that I was not popular, looking back, my senior year was one of the best years of my life. I was thriving at that time! It's a simple way to connect with that part of myself and honor it for what it was, and be grateful I had that.

Fortunately, it will only be one evening, which will be a lot more interesting that what I usually do on a typical Saturday night.

heartbeatocean said:

My brother-in-law went to his 20th reunion and asked only two questions, "Who died?" and "Who's gay?" One girl was gay and I had a crush on her older brother who looked like Prince. Her cousin who I use to scare became a millionaire. I should have been nicer to Richard and I could have been sitting pretty in that $9 million dollar mansion in the suburbs of Seattle.

Make sure you're confident in yourself and it never hurts to bring up some good old times.

At my 10-year-reunion I was the only person that didn't gain weight. I talked about everyone (voted Most Talkative as a senior). My classmates told me to not be fat when number 20 rolls around. I'm at the gym 6 days a week. My mouth has cursed me.

I only keep in touch with two people from my graduating class. One is my best friend and the other I was maid of honor in her wedding.

heartbeatocean said:

...That last point would be a valid one for me as well...lol

None of my high school years are very memorable, actually...nothing bad, nothing really great, either. College was the real jolt in my life, that propelled me into first experiencing me being me.

MickG said:

I'm happy with my life and the person I've become since high school. I'm more compassionate, wiser, I've travelled all over the world. I don't care enough to want to show off (they probably don't care either), but I feel confident and that's part of the attraction perhaps. Maybe to feel confident in a way I didn't at the time.

incognito said:

It will be interesting to hear who's up to what, especially since I have been so completely out of the loop for 20 years.

My good friend Dan is flying in also. He's now out as a gay man and works for a gay porn distribution company. It'll be funny to see how he handles that one!

My best friend from early childhood now has a lesbian partner and lives in a mansion.

I'm in good shape and haven't physically aged much, so all's good. People have been suggesting things like wear a spray-on tan and get a makeover. That strikes me as rather pathetic.

Byron said:

My college reunion just happened too, but I didn't go. My college was too large and it wouldn't be as interesting. Part of the enticement here is the trippy hallucinogenic quality of it all.