Life and Stuff

I returned from my 20-year high school reunion on Sunday, feeling tired on the way home, presumably from laughing so hard. Surely, my knees were just sore from all that clean living and daily exercise, right?

Mhm. That and swine flu a-hunkering down in my knees, awaiting its opportunity to attack. I think I’m sick so rarely, that I forget that’s how viral things always begin with me: cant-stand-up-sore knees. My doctor said viruses like joints. They’re warm and subversive.

So Monday rolls around, and suffice it to say that I had to clean up the walls at one point. ‘Nuff said there. Dehydration was setting in by that afternoon, so I was off to the doctor’s office. They made me wear a mask (presumably to keep their walls clean,) and ushered me to the back within minutes. The receptionist seemed less than interested in handling my insurance card. “We’ll take your word for it. Welcome.”

Quick exam: confirmation that I was miserable, running a fever, and mad at food. Shot of phenergen on my dignified side. Sleep and relief for many hours. Whir of Mammaw and Lug taking over with Lucy Bella, with me intermittently nursing her so she could get antibodies for this nonsense.

Luckily, GI stuff usually passes pretty quickly with me, so I’m on my feet again today (Thursday.) Cautiously eating soup and avoiding strenuous anything until probably next week. Not enjoying the irony that I had a flu shot appointment next week; not enjoying that at all.

Previous to the invasion of Hamthrax, my 20-year reunion was fantastic, as was the 10-year one. If you’re in high school and reading this, remember to vote for the senior class president who is most likely to organize the good reunions. No joke; this is the biggest job this person will have, with the most lasting legacy. Jeanette was our class president all four years, and deservedly so. She’s always been down-to-earth, intelligent, and friendly. She’s also a loyal person who honors where she came from and with whom she grew up. It shows in the way she organizes these events. Our reunions have been two-day events, in which we meet at the Friday night football game, then again on Saturday for a family picnic and then a more formal evening event with food and dancing.

The 20-year reunion was fantastic, if different than the 10-year. At ten years post-graduation, most everyone is still on their way down the path. I was still a couple years away from becoming a full-fledged teacher and was still living in Chicago, and most of us were still single. This time, most everyone was married, and in many cases have quite large families. There were multiple alumni with three, four, and five children. Rachel and I had most recently given birth to babies, while several classmates were preparing to send their oldest to college and the military.

We had a lot more to talk about than just high school, which was nice.  I suppose outsiders would look at us and say, “Yeah, you’re 20 years out of high school.” But to one another, I kept saying (and hearing) the words, “You haven’t changed a bit.” And that was a good thing. Even after all these years, we were able to recognize the twinkles in one anothers’ eyes, the distinctive senses of humor, and the laughter.

We saw a lot of change for the better, too, and a pervasively good sense of humor about the whole “getting older” thing. All in all, everyone seems to be taking it in stride, which is really the best example we can set for our own children. Yeah, we go to bed earlier now. And yeah, it takes us a few to get fired up in the morning. But we can laugh about it, and will hopefully continue to do so.

Lucy Bella was with Mammaw that weekend. We missed her. Expecting that, we took a little pocket album of photos with us. That helped to ease the twinges. Getting home helped the most.