Coasts of Gold and Catch Ups

I went to my 20th high school reunion last weekend.

I hadn't really wanted to go.

I didn't actually like high school. Did anyone? All the drama and intrigue, and I never really seemed to be a part of any of it. I was a little afraid that this catch up might be like that, were people going to start whispering secrets behind my back?

Funnily enough, it was my oldest friend and my newest friend who convinced me to go. The oldest, with whom I had been at primary school, just would not let up. "Come on, let's go, we are going, it will be fun, see you at the hotel, we'll pick you up at 6.45 sharp". My newest friend just looked and me and said, "I missed out on mine, and I really regret it. Go. It's one night of your entire life."

And so I duly dragged my family down to stay at a fancy hotel on the Gold Coast so that I could attend my 20th high school reunion.

And do you know what?

It was, without a doubt, one of the best nights of my entire life. Absolutely. Gone was all the teenage rubbish that goes with teenagers, and what was left was a group of really quite fabulous people. Issues had long been sorted, and people knew who they were. The women had grown prettier, and the men fatter in the middle and thinner on top. And we all talked and drank and laughed and stayed out until past 3 o'clock in the morning.

And as we all waved goodbye one guy yelled out that he'd had so much fun we should meet up again the next weekend.

I knew it wouldn't happen, but I so agreed with him.

The funny thing is, that now that I have been to this reunion, my entire perception of my high school experience has changed. The kids there weren't awful, they weren't mean, they were just finding themselves, just like I was. We were all confused. We all did good things and bad things and silly things, and we had all ended up being pretty decent, kind human beings.

And ever since I figured all that out, well I have just felt great.

Now if you are wondering what the photo has to do with anything, it's a snap of the pool area that I took from our hotel room. The boys were going on the slides with their dad. If you look very carefully at the little blue spot halfway up the stairs, that's Luka. The other darker spot, further down is Felix.

And in the water is their dad, waiting to catch them as they shoot out of the slide.

If only their lives could stay always so simple.

p.s. stop calculating how old I am.