My class voted me “Future OHS Principal”—I don’t know what that means socially, exactly, but I think it might fall somewhere between “Most Recognizable Nerd” & “Biggest Goody-Goody.”
I never became a principal, but we ARE having a reunion. It’s been 20 yrs, & everyone’s submitting life updates on FB ahead of the in-person event. I log on to see what people are saying & to see what the rules are for defining yourself to your peers these days.
It's odd to read life updates from individuals who are frozen in your mind at 18. Consequently their updates read something like overdue “senior superlatives” to me; but we are adults, now, & these are actually our reality show headlines:
Entrepreneur
CFO
Foster parents for troubled youth
World’s best aunt
Dabbled in amateur drag racing
Earned 2 masters degrees, a PhD, traveled the world
Spouse died & had to move closer to family
Recovering addict, years sober
Married, 8 kids
Never been married, no kids
20 years in the Armed Forces
High-risk cancer diagnosis, one year cancer-free
Miscarriages, infertility, child loss
The list goes on.
I remember the details of graduation day clearly—the long, fidgeting line as we each waited for our turn to walk across the stage. But after reading my peers’ life updates, I reimagine that scene:
We are walking across the stage & they’re handing us something, but it isn’t diplomas—it’s Life Cards. “Your future awaits,” Someone in authority decrees (again I realize it’s not me). I look at my cards—white with small, black text:
Married. 3 kids.
BA English Teaching
Daughter with Down Syndrome
Shock.
Ripping my eyes away from The Cards, I look up in panic & recognize that my classmates are experiencing what I am: shock, celebration, wonder, & terror.
Suddenly everyone, EVERYONE is changed.
These faces that I know will confront mountains and valleys and never be the same. My respect for each one deepens beyond classmate camaraderie to something as formative & foundational as the years when we knew each other best.
Here we are, again, each holding our own bits of light and darkness in our hands. And the only thing that matters is what on earth we do with them.
