(no subject)
Jun. 26th, 2023 05:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seekingferretFor better and worse, my 20th high school reunion was exactly what I thought it would be.
-I was the only person there wearing a mask. I didn't expect a lot of people to, but I didn't think it would be just me. That off the bat made me feel out of place, a little, and also it made it a little harder for people to hear me talk.
-But that was a side issue compared to the fact that the reunion committee booked a DJ and they were blasting loud music the whole time. I did not really understand this. A few people danced but mostly people were there to talk to people they hadn't seen in years- why would you want music drowning out the conversations?
-Also, for whatever it's worth, the popular music of 2003 that they were playing was not the soundtrack of my high school experience. Sure, I recognized most of the songs, but setting aside the ultra-weird music I listened to when I was on my own, when I was with friends we much more commonly listened to hard rock or metal, or indie rock, or folk- depending on the friends. We did not listen to top 40 radio.
-All of this just speaks to the way I did not think and still do not think the same way most of my high school classmates do. And I'm okay with that.
-In the end, I spent a bunch of time talking to people, but I also spent a decent bit of time chilling in a corner watching people, because I have limited introvert energy to handle big crowds and I probably have less now since my interacting in large group skills have atrophied during covid.
-Of the thirty people I was closest to in high school, two were there. In retrospect, of course the friends I had in high school didn't go to this reunion, they knew just as well as I did what it would be. But it was really good to see the two guys I did see and catch up a bit. And it was kind of nice to talk to some of the other people that I was never close to, but that I just had a long history with. So I'm glad I went, all in all.
-But I feel like the biggest piece of the puzzle is the realization that if I do want to catch up with the people that I actually was closest with in high school, I have to do that work myself. I'm... not sure I want to do that work, and it's okay if I don't. But maybe I'll reach out to some people.
-I was the only person there wearing a mask. I didn't expect a lot of people to, but I didn't think it would be just me. That off the bat made me feel out of place, a little, and also it made it a little harder for people to hear me talk.
-But that was a side issue compared to the fact that the reunion committee booked a DJ and they were blasting loud music the whole time. I did not really understand this. A few people danced but mostly people were there to talk to people they hadn't seen in years- why would you want music drowning out the conversations?
-Also, for whatever it's worth, the popular music of 2003 that they were playing was not the soundtrack of my high school experience. Sure, I recognized most of the songs, but setting aside the ultra-weird music I listened to when I was on my own, when I was with friends we much more commonly listened to hard rock or metal, or indie rock, or folk- depending on the friends. We did not listen to top 40 radio.
-All of this just speaks to the way I did not think and still do not think the same way most of my high school classmates do. And I'm okay with that.
-In the end, I spent a bunch of time talking to people, but I also spent a decent bit of time chilling in a corner watching people, because I have limited introvert energy to handle big crowds and I probably have less now since my interacting in large group skills have atrophied during covid.
-Of the thirty people I was closest to in high school, two were there. In retrospect, of course the friends I had in high school didn't go to this reunion, they knew just as well as I did what it would be. But it was really good to see the two guys I did see and catch up a bit. And it was kind of nice to talk to some of the other people that I was never close to, but that I just had a long history with. So I'm glad I went, all in all.
-But I feel like the biggest piece of the puzzle is the realization that if I do want to catch up with the people that I actually was closest with in high school, I have to do that work myself. I'm... not sure I want to do that work, and it's okay if I don't. But maybe I'll reach out to some people.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-27 01:07 pm (UTC)This is me whenever I wear a mask these days. I offer sympathy and a sigh.
A few people danced but mostly people were there to talk to people they hadn't seen in years- why would you want music drowning out the conversations?
I completely agree with you!
I am glad that you ended up being glad you went, even with the weirdness going on. Revisiting that time in your life is SO strange, especially if you didn't really fit in with the dominant culture even at the time.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-27 02:06 pm (UTC)