As I travel through different towns in New Jersey all this week, I usually hit a slow spot on the road. Not because there's the typical traffic jam that clogs up the roadways. Rather, it's the folks graduating high school as they prepare for the next chapter in their young lives. The most obvious thing that's on their minds is not so much what the future holds for them...they'll figure that out as time goes on. It's the anticipation of the summer season, whether it's trips to the beach or some place far away to celebrate life after high school. For the moment, that's what many of them are thinking and any future endeavors that await them will do just that in their young minds...wait for them.
This week also marks a milestone in my life as well as for my old high school classmates...it's our 25th anniversary since graduating high school. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending my high school reunion and I can't express enough how much fun it was to be with people that can relate to me in some way or another. We all grew up from childhood through our teen years and many memories still linger in our minds, many of which we reminisced with each other during our reunion. I've been to previous reunions for my 10th and 20th year and the latest one I went to recently was by far the best. And it wasn't because it was the "significant" number of 25 that got many of us there...it was where it was held and the relaxed atmosphere that came with the event. You see, our 10th year reunion was held at a country club. It was great, seeing people you hadn't seen in a long time made it fun. A decade later, our 20th year reunion was held at a hotel. It was okay, but nothing overly spectacular. The recent high school reunion I attended was held at a bar/restaurant where we weren't obligated to dress up in a semi-formal attire as in previous gatherings. Many of us wore casual clothes and a room was reserved for our class. So many classmates, so little time to mingle...but I did manage to talk and reminisce to as many as possible in the short amount of time we had on that Saturday night. This leads me to my tip for those planning a high school reunion...do it in a nice, relaxed atmosphere where you don't have to stuff attendees in their semi-formal attire. A bar/restaurant is the perfect place to hold a gathering for such an occasion!
Ah...summer is here. You know what that means...time at the beach, park or anywhere that gets you up and moving around. Have fun, play it safe and remember that sunscreen!
This week also marks a milestone in my life as well as for my old high school classmates...it's our 25th anniversary since graduating high school. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending my high school reunion and I can't express enough how much fun it was to be with people that can relate to me in some way or another. We all grew up from childhood through our teen years and many memories still linger in our minds, many of which we reminisced with each other during our reunion. I've been to previous reunions for my 10th and 20th year and the latest one I went to recently was by far the best. And it wasn't because it was the "significant" number of 25 that got many of us there...it was where it was held and the relaxed atmosphere that came with the event. You see, our 10th year reunion was held at a country club. It was great, seeing people you hadn't seen in a long time made it fun. A decade later, our 20th year reunion was held at a hotel. It was okay, but nothing overly spectacular. The recent high school reunion I attended was held at a bar/restaurant where we weren't obligated to dress up in a semi-formal attire as in previous gatherings. Many of us wore casual clothes and a room was reserved for our class. So many classmates, so little time to mingle...but I did manage to talk and reminisce to as many as possible in the short amount of time we had on that Saturday night. This leads me to my tip for those planning a high school reunion...do it in a nice, relaxed atmosphere where you don't have to stuff attendees in their semi-formal attire. A bar/restaurant is the perfect place to hold a gathering for such an occasion!
Ah...summer is here. You know what that means...time at the beach, park or anywhere that gets you up and moving around. Have fun, play it safe and remember that sunscreen!
