Out and About – Week of June 29th

A couple of weeks ago, I accompanied my wife to a brief reunion of her classmates from grade school and high school. The purpose of the get together was to take a tour of her grade school in Kalamazoo, which is scheduled for demolition. The school was built in the 1920s, so many children have passed through the doors of this building where friendships started and memories were made. Last year we attended the fiftieth anniversary of her high school graduation, so this was a perfect opportunity to get reacquainted before names and faces were once again forgotten.
The grade school tour was informative, and as an outsider, I was fascinated to see how these classmates reacted differently to the tour. Most could remember the names of teachers and what rooms they taught in. Some could remember getting in trouble for doing inappropriate things. A classmate named Tom even remembered playing Spin the Bottle. Memories are wonderful things and some should be cherished forever.
The second part of the weekend reunion involved a gathering of high school classmates at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo. This Saturday afternoon event was probably the most interesting to me. The weather was ideal for sitting outside and reminiscing about life fifty years ago and how everyone was doing now. I was not a member of this interesting group of classmates, but over the past year or so, I’ve gotten to know a couple of them, so I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about their life experiences. I think my wife was well liked, because there was always someone interested in talking with her. I don’t know how many of my wife’s classmates will ever read this column, but if Tom, Sid, Jim, Carol, Marilyn, or Mike ever do, I want to thank you for being a part of my wife’s early life. Special thanks go out to all the forms of social media for making reunions such as this possible.
It’s been three years since my class held its fiftieth reunion. Some of us gather once a year to get reacquainted and have a good time. High school reunions aren’t important to everyone, because so much has happened since commencement. I’d like to think that those first twelve years of education will always be thought of as the “Formative Years”. Those were the times when our personalities were formed and friendships were made. They were the years when we didn’t worry about a home mortgage or the outstanding balance on a credit card. Some might think of those years as the “Years of Innocence”, although there were some friends that probably weren’t that innocent. Looking back at the second paragraph, please take some time to reflect on those happy memories of yesterday. Relive them and learn from them. Most importantly, do what you can to continue making happy memories.
Here are some “Adult Truths” that I’m sure many of us can relate to:
I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
Bad decisions make good stories.
How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile, because you still didn’t hear or understand a word someone said?
Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty and you can wear them forever.
As soon as you find something at the grocery store that you really like, they will either move it or the company will discontinue it.
See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman