Reunion of the Decade

In the grand scheme of things, 10 years doesn't register more than an insignificant blip on the cosmic radar.  While the universe itself is infinitely older than our own world, in our personal lives 10 years can change quite a bit.  Seeing as that stretch of time almost qualifies as a third of my lifespan, it's amazing to me how much can happen within 10 years.  I saw great evidence of this via our class reunion this last weekend.

Granted, many people will change between graduation and now, but life changes are very standard at our relatively young age.  Many are married, many have their own businesses and dreams, and a few of us even have multiple children by this age.  What amazes me the most, however, is how little changes in our personal relationships.  Sure, there are people we may have had a falling out with, or instances that re-shape our friendships, but for the most part, catching up with those we haven't seen for a while brings back so many old memories that you can't help but laugh.  In many ways, it really is just like it was, but in the same sense, you really can't go home again.

So there I was, with many of my old classmates, talking about what's really been going on within the last 10 years for people I haven't seen in ages and maybe even catching up on the last couple of years with those I've talked to or seen more recently.  Like I said, the old friendships really are the same as they were, and you lapse into the same conversations you used to have and remember why you were friends in the first place.  Listening to some of their stories, I was reminded about things I may have seen in school but never noticed amongst certain relationships.  Grace and I had this conversation in the middle of things, saying that no matter what happened during our time together in school, 10 years later, the slate has been wiped clean.  Very interesting.

Even so, when I mull things over a bit more, 10 years really shapes a person, regardless of their age, by the events, relationships, and environment around them. What I can be thankful for the most throughout these 10 years are the friendships that I've been able to form and keep and the inspirations along the way.  So in this way, the reunion was a success.  Hopefully, we'll be able to keep those promises to stay in touch more often, as one of my friends said, "We have no excuse not to."  It remains to be seen, though, how 10 additional years will shape us again.