Anybody go? Do you enjoy them?

I'm getting all the invites to my 50th, but they go straight into my trash folder (or can). I've been to two in my lifetime, both my 20th. Both in Orlando. (figure that one out!)

Actually, I grew up in Orlando and we only had two high schools in my area. You attended one if you lived North of highway 50 and one if you lived South of highway 50. Hwy 50 pretty much ran through the middle of town back in the day (now, it's gotten so big, I don't know where Orlando starts or where it ends). I lived within a few blocks of hwy 50, so I went to kindergarten, "elementary" (what grade school was called back then) and Jr. High with basically the same friends. When we reached h/s, we were pretty much divided down the middle, depending on which side of hwy. 50 we lived on. So, half the friends I grew up with went to one h/s and the rest of us went to the other. For that reason, I decided to attend BOTH h/s reunions.

Major mistake. It was "ok" running into a few old friends, but TBH, I realized, of the friends I REALLY liked and was closest with, we'd stayed in touch anyway. So basically, I went to see people I really didn't care that much about. The WORST part? Everybody had gotten OLD!!! Some of the good lookin' wimmins had gotten old and fat and the rest of the good lookin' wimmins just got old ... but were decent looking "old ladies". It seemed the only one stuck in a time warp and was still 18-ish looking/feeling ..... was ME! I know, I know ... but it sure "seemed" that way. Ha! My biggest shock was my old Jewish girlfriend. We were "girlfriend and boyfriend" in elementary school and dated in the later years, but we'd been "friends" for so long, it was more of a "best friend" sort of dating than "romantic" dating. I will say she was one of the cutest little things I'd ever set eyes on. At the first reunion, we pretty much hung out and sat together at dinner. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her! Not because she was still cute as a button ... no .... she looked like a "typical" OLD Jewish lady! ARRRGGGHHH! What happened? She now lived in Ft. Lauderdale (or did then) with all the rich, Yankee Jewish types. Her dad was a doctor and she's MARRIED to a doctor. I asked about her two brothers and found out one is a doctor and the other is an attorney. Ha! How typical! I couldn't help but imagining her mother's voice in my head talking about, "My son the attorney" in a heavy Jewish accent!

Anyway, I say all of that just to point out practically ALL of my resurrected old friendships were about as uninteresting as the one above and I had very little in common with any of them.

Ok, I was disappointed and left wondering what it was that I had really expected. I guess I expected to be sent back in a time machine to the late 60's, I don't know. A couple weeks later, I headed to my next reunion (the h/s North of I-4) hoping for something different. It was all the same. I met up with an old girlfriend and she'd gained about 200 lbs and drove a mini-van with one of those decals on the window that depicted mom. dad, three kids, a dog and a cat. She'd gone on to college and waited until later in life to get married, so her kids were still ... well .... kids!

I have to admit, I left my first reunion feeling a bit depressed. After the second, I said to myself, "Never again"! And I stuck to my word. I've never attended another one and will not be going to my 50th. I think I'd rather keep my childhood memories intact and leave well enough alone thankyouverymuch.