In My Life

"There are places I'll remember all my life though some have changed; some forever not for better some have gone and some remain. All these places have their moments, with lovers and friends I still can recall. Some are dead and some are living, in my life I've loved them all..." - The Beatles "In My Life"

My 5 year high school reunion was yesterday. 5 years. I can't even believe it. In preparation for this event I began reminiscing about the good ole days we spent at Walnut. The days that, for better or for worse, helped shape me into the person I am today.

The night of the event, as I began to get myself together I remember how self concious I was and how much I wanted to look as nice as I possibly could for whatever reason. As I put on my clothes and did my hair I looked at myself in the mirror and I wondered how the people that I shared class, dances and memories with would view me that night. I wondered if they would notice the extra pounds I've put on, or the curly fro that I am now sporting; or maybe they would look at me and remember.

The class of 2003 will always hold a special place in my heart. Now in no way do I want to make it seem like my highschool experience was a fairytale or that our class resembled the 90's highschool sitcoms; but we had fun. As you might expect there were the cliques, the scandals, the in-crowds, the jealousy, the moments of unification as a class, and the moments of complete anarchy; but we had fun.

Even though I can understand that everyone's experience was not the same, I can say that I appreciated my time in those halls. For that reason when I walked in and saw those faces all I could see were memories. I saw the smiling face that used to make my day better everytime I walked into history class. I talked with the friends I used to blow off first bell with, and shared stories with the people I used to share lunch with. Of course I remember the bad times but I couldn't bring myself to dwell on that. Yes, there are faces I saw that brought back some not-so-great memories, and there were even some faces that I wished were there but knew it was probably better that they weren't. But the good feelings and memories wouldn't let my heart dwell on the bad. From the looks of things; I wasn't the only one. As each person walked in they were received into the group and as I looked around we were together like no time had passed. The hugs, the smiles, the familiarity. At this event I realized that for better or worse these are the people that I will always share this bond with and I value them.

5 years have passed and we are different people now. There are things that have changed but the love is still there. We don't keep in touch like we should, or could; we cling to the people that we feel closest to, we stick to politeness for the people that have rubbed us the wrong way. But through it all most people showed up which proves to me that the circle is unbroken.

Class of 2003, thank you for the years we shared and the times we had. Thank you for helping shape me, and for giving me a wonderful experience to look back on... Thanks most of all for the memories... I look forward to the new ones we'll create even if they'll only happen every 5 years...


Until the next song plays...
- Jazz