I know I am showing my age here, but I recently attended my 40-year high school class reunion. In four decades, this is the first reunion I’ve attended. Part of that was due to distance. But I also admit I didn’t try very hard to get to previous ones—it’s not like high school reunions have a reputation for being worth the effort. At this 40-year reunion, I certainly noticed some of the cliché negative stereotypes about reunions. But I found some amazing and unexpected things, too.

Here are just a few of my “Reunion Revelations.”

R: Reconnect. I was able to reconnect with folks—not only from high school, but also college. There were so many great memories: carpools back and forth to school or a shared college professor’s wisdom we all remembered. 

R: Respect. I found individuals for whom I had profound respect. The journey of life has taken my classmates so many places—the loss of parent(s), the loss of a child, divorce, marriage (some more than once), poverty, wealthy, careers, schooling, recognitions and more. Each of us has a different life story and I found myself wanting to honor the journey we had all taken (and continue to take). I reached new levels of empathy and compassion. I found gratitude that some of these experiences were not mine. I marveled at life.

R: Realization. None of us are getting any younger. In fact, several of our classmates have already passed away.  As I looked at the photos of those who have already left this Earth, I felt sad for all these years the rest of us got to have. I also felt grateful for knowing them. It reminded me that life is too short. It’s important to seize the day and do the things.

R: Reality. The reality is we are not in high school anymore. Life continues to move. Yes, it’s nice to reminisce for a while, but we have the here and now. If we spend too much time in the past, we miss what’s happening now. I realized that I enjoy my life and the things I’m doing. High school had some fun times and experiences, but I don’t want to go back. I truly appreciate my current stage of life. I want to give my attention and focus to today and creating from now. 

I want to leave you with five questions that could apply to all of us:

• Who is someone you’d like to reconnect with? I invite you to pick up the phone, write a note, set up coffee or ZOOM. Take action within the next 24 hours to get the ball rolling.

• Who is someone you respect? What are the pieces about yourself you respect? I invite you to write a note to someone letting them know what you respect about them (feel free to write one to yourself too!)
• What is a new realization you’ve had from reading this blog? What are the ways you can apply this learning into your own life?
• What are the ways you honor your past experiences while staying focused on the present?

I hope this has been useful for you and I look forward to hearing about your experiences and insights following reunions. I definitely plan on attending the next one.

Keep SHINING in Your Brilliance!