With Age Comes . . . . .

I have touched, gently, on the subject of aging and what we may be going through physically. However, the recent e-mail I received from Kathy Hayes reminded me of a discussion I had over the weekend.

I happened to have turned 38 on Sunday, and I was having a discussion with my family about attitude changes. Coming up on 40 and looking back, it can be fun and sometimes scary what you valued, wanted, and thought as you went through your teens, 20's and 30's.

When I got the e-mail from Kathy, I was so genuinely pleased. I had not read her blog entry, but I could tell from her personal note that she had kids and her name change indicated a marriage. Good things - and it made me really happy for her.

Then I realized that it was a lot like what I had been talking about over the weekend.

I didn't know Kathy Hayes in school. I knew "OF" Kathy Hayes. Thinking back, she was tall, thin, very pretty, and I believe played volleyball (?). My few dealings with her were nice enough, but I never really knew her. And like many great T.V. shows and movies portray, our school had a great many small cliques and groups that only co-mingled when necessary.

I am going to be honest with no intent to hurt anyones feelings. When the idea of a 5 year reunion came up, I had no interest. I had kept up with most of the people I liked from school (not all, but most). There was no need to find out what the "jocks" were up to or if the "we're too cool' people had fallen from their pedestals. How much could the "we're too hot" girls have aged in 5 years? It felt that it would still be too much like highschool and I did not care yet what had happened to anyone, especially people I didn't have any connection to in the first place.

I don't know what happened in regards to a 10 year reunion. I know I didn't go.

And now we are at our 20 year reunion. And we have our BLOG site. And I am reading about people I had no connection with 20 years ago - and I am freakin' thrilled. There is an excitement in re-discovering people. People are sending me personal e-mails that might have said 4 words to me during our entire Chaminade experience. Everyone seems open and good-spirited. And just the idea of getting everyone in one room and being able to say "Hey, nice to see you" and mean it with all my heart is a great feeling.

When went to school, our strongest common factor was that we all went to Chaminade. Now, as individuals 20 years later, we all have more in common than ever before. Successes, failures, marriages, divorces, births, deaths, kids, jobs, and all aspects of life that have brought us to this point. It is not necessary that I be able to relate to a jock, geek, cheerleader or fabulously talented member of the theater club (guess which group I fell in ), because we are all so much more than any niche' we might have filled back in the day.

Anthony "Nobody Puts Baby in a Niche" Butler