<p>Who were we 50 years ago? Who are we now? These are questions my mind has been wrestling with since last week when I attended my 50th high school reunion. The questions have provoked thought and, for me at least, have not been so easy to answer.</p>
<p>I arrived at the venue a little late. Already classmates were going through the serving line. I had a flash vision of our high school cafeteria. It was a little like that except there were no lunch ladies, and the food looked way more appetizing. The round tables in the big room were self-grouped and at least some of the groups were composed of the same people as might have eaten together 50 years ago. I, as well, found a table with some people with whom I might have shared lunch period back then.</p>
<p>Everyone looked older, as you would expect. It’s been half a century, after all. Our hair looked thinner and grayer, even those who augmented theirs with a bit with color. Some appeared healthier than others, also to be expected. Fifty years of struggle with the ravages of life and gravity will do that.</p>
<p>Often when I run into old acquaintances, one of the first topics of conversation is our current medical conditions, doctor visits and so on. Curiously, the conversations I had did not dwell on these problems. Oh, current health issues may have come up briefly, but then we moved on to more important information. We wanted to catch up. We shared timelines: work and retirement; children and grandchildren; maybe some notable adventures we had experienced. It was an attempt to distill the last 50 years of our lives into five minutes of conversation. Some conversations were longer than others, dependent, perhaps, on how lengthy and detailed the relationships were back in the halls, classrooms and cafeterias of yore.</p>
<p>Not everyone in our graduation class showed up. Fifty years of living create priorities and obligations that take precedence. It’s likely some just couldn’t be bothered. No doubt some ( I hope not too many) didn’t look forward to a gathering with former classmates because it would evoke unpleasant memories. Why relive such things? Maybe there are some who look back on their high school years with nothing but joy, but for most of us those four years contained some trying times. Still, that was then— 50 years ago—and this is now.</p>
<p>The ghosts were there, of course. Those who had not survived the entire 50-year trip made their presence known through our reminiscences and reflections. They were missed. They were the ones with whom we wished we could have remembered one more story, shared one more recollection, had one more laugh. And there was a lot of laughter. I would say smiles and laughter was in the very the air we were breathing that evening. We were happy to be together again sharing for a while our common history.</p>
<p>Often, at reunions there are often those who are trying to impress, to settle something. But for 1969 graduates I talked to, that didn’t seem to be necessary. Not that it ever is, really. Maybe 50 years of adult life gives one another perspective. That’s what you would hope, anyway.</p>
<p>Who were we 50 years ago? Who are we now? These questions lead me to other questions: Who was I 50 years ago? Who am I now? I am still thinking about that.</p>
<p>Norman Knight, a retired Clark-Pleasant Middle School teacher, writes this weekly column for the Daily Journal. Send comments to <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p>
