20 Year Class Reunion

I'm in Coos Bay, Oregon for my 20 year class reunion.

The last time I saw some of these people was when I was about the same age as our daughter. We have changed in many ways, but in some ways we have not. Some are doing "well" -- others stayed home out of embarrassment over their life or just because they would like to keep the past in the past. At least those are two reasons people didn't show up.

I drove by my old elementary school. It is closed now. Overgrown with weeds. The concrete on the playground is broken. My first grade classroom is there. I can almost hear the sounds of children and vividly remember recess and library and field day. The ghosts of memories gone by.

Tonight I went to the first "event" of the reunion -- At Molly's Pizza Parlor. A place next to the high school where we used to go during lunch to play video games. It was fun seeing old friends but the conversations were mostly shallow -- It was noisy and crowded...sometimes difficult to remember names.

"How are you? Good to see you. Where do you live? Are you married? Tell me about your kids? What do you do for work? Nice seeing you again..."

It got old fast. I had some good conversations as well...but most followed the shallow script. I left early.

Tomorrow I'm going tuna fishing with my father, my uncle and my niece. That should be fun. Maybe tomorrow night at the reunion it wont be so noisy...

Coos Bay is my Nazareth...not much of a town. It's just where I am from. Not a bad place to be from, but not a place where many people want to be.