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Getting "the butterflies" about the reunion?


With the reunion rapidly approaching, many of us may be feeling a bit anxious about meeting old friends and classmates. Your stomach may be doing flip flops and getting the butterflies. You may be wondering.... How will I look to others? What will they think of me? Will they recognize or remember me? Will I recognize them? What will I say to my old boyfriend/girlfriend or former spouse?

Perhaps your fears and concerns are making you reluctant to go to the reunion. Maybe you have been taking a peek at the website every now and then to see who will be coming, or maybe you are going through your yearbooks to try and match names to faces. Have no fear! It is only natural to feel a bit nervous about seeing people after so many years. We all change over time - it is just part of life.

So try not to worry too much if you aren't as slim and trim as you used to be, if your hair isn't the same, or if you don't have any hair at all! We are all in the same boat and people will be much more interested in the path your life has taken than in how you look.

Here are a few tips to help you relax and enjoy the reunion:
  • Connect with a few friends before the reunion and go as a group. There is always comfort in numbers.
  • Be yourself and remember that everyone is probably feeling just like you.
  • Dress comfortably and wear something that makes you feel good about yourself.
  • It is okay to forget names. That is why everyone will have a name tag.
  • Think positive thoughts and most important of all, SMILE!
So don't let your worries stop you from taking a walk down memory lane and coming to the reunion. It will be a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old friends and former teachers, reminisce about the past, rekindle relationships and have the time of your life!

Hope to see you there!

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My High School Reunion - A Perspective

 
The big event is coming! My high school's 50th anniversary reunion is about two months away and I must confess that my feelings about attending this event range from excitement, to apprehension, to curiosity to "it feels like I've swallowed a thousand slimy worms kind of dread". Not since my first high school dance have I experienced such mixed emotions.

The weekend of May 28 and May 29, 2010, I'll be joining hundreds of former and current students and staff members enter the doors of Ottawa's Woodroffe High School for the first time in decades. I wonder if I will be greeted by the same sounds and smells that permeated the walls of my alma mater so many years ago? Will anyone recognize me? Will anyone want to talk to me? Part of me still feels like that shy girl who entered high school with doubts and fears but who left feeling happy and ready to take on the world.

I must admit that through the help of a wonderful reunion website that was created by a dedicated group of volunteers who are organizing this event, I've sneaked a peak at who will be coming and at the photos of some brave souls who have uploaded their "then" and "now" photos. I've realized that no one looks the same and that no one really cares.We're all older. I'm not going to the reunion to scrutinize wrinkles,broadening waistlines or graying hair. I'm going to share some laughs and wonderful memories with some very special people and perhaps I'll even dance with an old boyfriend.

On the advice of my husband's 88-year-old uncle who still attends his high school reunion each year, I've decided to put my fears aside, enjoy the moment and just be myself. I have nothing to prove but lots to share. Life is precious and we never know when another opportunity will arise to meet people from those cherished years. The only promises that I have made to myself for that weekend are to wear something fabulous, including my eye glasses that will help me to read name tags, not drink too much wine and go with an open mind and a warm heart. Chances are, just about everyone who is planning to attend is feeling just like me—nervous but excitedly optimistic.

I've bought my tickets and I am ready to go, wish me luck! 


Anonymous Alumni, Class '76