random thoughts – Day 1,180 – (Saturday) – reunion

Winston went to the sitter at 10:00 this morning for an overnight visit. That left the day free for reunion set up and the reunion itself and eliminated worrying about him having his dinner and insulin late and rushing back to take care of him.

Setting up!

The day had a little of everything. During setup, it was breezy/windy as games were set out on the lawn, balloons were inflated and tables were set with centerpieces, bottled water was loaded into the refrigerators, and coolers were set up with bottled water and ice.

On my trek down the dirt driveway to the registration tent to bring a bottle of water to a classmate, raindrops began to splat down, and shortly after I arrived there, it began to pour. Three of us huddled under the small canopy where rain blew at us sideways until we got smart enough to get into the car we standing behind. Duh. It might take a minute, but we get there.

When the rain stopped, the sun came out and it was hot. The rain seemed to have chased the wind away. I stayed at registration to help but after dropping an envelope of name tags under a car and then dropping a handful of loose tags on the ground, it was feeling more like a comedy skit than actual help. It was fun at registration, getting to see everyone as they arrived. There have been some reunions there I never managed to see some people at all. 

Throughout the day, the weather did the crazy thing it has been doing all week. In a six hour span we had wind, rain, sun, heat, clouds, another rain, another clearing, chilliness, a third rain where the sun was also shining, and a rainbow. Whew! We’re a resilient lot and all hung in under the shelter of the pavilion. The infamous blizzard of ’78 must have toughened us up. Unfortunately, the campfire that was built before the first rain shower suffered the effects of the three showers and there was no amount of Class of ’78 resilience that could fix that. So much for the toasted marshmallows plan.

It was a fun day, with around 55 of us gathered and reconnecting. Some of us hadn’t seen each other since graduation day, which was exactly 45 years ago. It makes us sound so old to say it. Vague words like “ages ago” and “forever ago” gloss over the hard reality and feel more palatable. All of us look great, so it’s easier to deny the digits. 

Reunited!

After the cleanup a few of us went to The Cellar in downtown Fitchburg. While there, I saw a colleague from my first banking job right after college. Her daughter’s band was performing there, and she and I had a nice chat about the old times at the bank and what some of our former coworkers are up to.

The day was full of connections and memories, hugs, laughter, and even a few tears. My heart is full.