ButtUgly: Main_blogentry_170509

Class Reunion

I'm writing this at my parents house, the same place I grew up. Today we had a 20 year high school ("lukio") class reunion, an event I had kind of been half-expecting, half-dreading. Expecting because we did live together for so many years; dreading because, well, it had been 20 years - half of our lifetime ago. People can change a lot in that time.

In the end, it turned out to be an awesome event. At first, people felt a bit apprehensive, but soon the sun and the beer opened the floodgates, and we talked. And we talked a lot. We shared our life tales; the wins, the losses. The good and the bad; the lucky strikes and the accidents. Some of us had had it rough; for some life had been smooth. Some were divorced, some were still with their high school sweetheart. Most of us had children, and their pictures were circulated eagerly and complimented upon.

After a dinner, we ended up watching videos from the time we spent together, and had collective self-embarathy moments. Then, we ended up in a discotheque ("Wiltsu") which had been reopened under the same name after 20 years, and which was to many of us a first touch of adulthood - so it was obviously THE place to go and visit. And we danced like we were eighteen.

Finally, it was a bit of traditional local food ("Vety") and watching the sun come up.

Good reset. Great company.

What really makes me happy is that I was able to rekindle some old friendships, and also - hopefully - actually start some new ones. Finding a common tune with someone you never really talked to before is an uplifting experience, no matter how many years pass or how old you are.