High School Reunion's Makes My Tummy Hurt a Little!

Okay, this is it. Tonight is the first night in a slew of activities for my 20th year high school reunion—Go Royals! Class of 1990, rocks! (Okay, that was cheesy).

At the beginning of the year when the dates for the reunion were announced, I was like “Alright! Sign me up!” Now, that it is here, I’m not so sure I’m all that excited. I have butterflies in my stomach—isn’t that weird. Why is it that high school (a meager three years of 38 years) still haunts and defines who I think of myself today? Did it really have that incredible of an impact on me that just the thought of reuniting with some of the people from school makes me want to cry a little? What is that about?

Criminy! I haven’t seen most  of these people in like what, 20 years, so what’s the big deal? I think I am way over thinking this. I am a good person, gosh dang it!

But I tell you what? This gosh darn good person is planning on tucking, lifting, plucking, squeezing, and hiding most of her goodness to make sure it looks even better for this weekend. And to do all of that, it comes at a price—thank goodness for Visa.

Man, I wish I had something cool to say once I got there too, like “Hello, I am Dr. Cornford” but that’s a lie. I wish I could say, “Hello, I am Angela the inventor of the sham-wow” But no, I ain’t got that going for me either. I’ve got nothing cool like that (sham-wow’s are cool. Have you ever tried one?)

Instead, all I’ve got is the truth: I am a wife to a man I absolutely adore, who is so good to me he is coming to this reunion without complaint; I am a mother of 3 miracle kids whose very existence has filled me with more joy than they will ever know; I am a writer (unpublished as of yet) but I am a writer none-the-less (I have two books under my belt and a third that should be finished this fall). I’m peddling my current book to agents as we speak (fingers crossed). I am the inventor of post it notes (Okay, that one is false—I took that from Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion movie).

I am going to the reunion. I am certain when it is all said and done, I will be all the better for going. I will have renewed old friendships and had a great time. I will not judge ANYONE while there, because I would hope the same respect would be allotted me. We are older. We are wiser. And hopefully we are much kinder.

I will see you there. Please come up to me, tell me who you are and say hi. I don’t care if we were friends in high school or not—come say hello. Tell me how you are doing and all about your family. I’d be genuinely interested to know.  (And if your nervous , like me, just know you are not alone).