Reunion madness

A full moon makes me think of and long for reunions. Why? Because the moon when full, symbolizes a complete circle — a reunion.

Tonight’s full moon on Friday the 13th marks a rare occasion, as the next one is not expected for another 35 years. The convergence on the summer solstice leads to what’s called “honey moon.” In anticipation of this event at midnight East Coast Time (here in Newton, Massachusetts), let me dive into a sea of nostalgia.

Kubasaki High School Reunion, Williamsburg, May 2014. Photo: Albert Santos

I embarked on my “summer of reunions” on Friday May 9th with a two-hour dinner in Honolulu with “work colleagues.” One had just returned from her three-month maternity leave and another was in-between jetsets. After catching up, we summarized our strengths and weaknesses and next steps. For the time being, I needed time off — time to regroup, switch off, and get antsy about getting busy again.

My goal for this three-month vacation was to shake off the strings of work and be free to “play” —- the result of which, I hoped, was to be able to plan with a clear head.

With great expectations, I looked forward to my high school reunion in Williamsburg, Virginia, the first “official” one I signed up to attend. For years, I had given various excuses why I couldn’t attend such organized reunions. In the months leading up to the reunion, I surmised that I was “ready” for it because I felt good about myself and wanted to reconnect at this milestone.

Everyone seemed happy and joyous at the reunion. For a brief weekend we regressed to our high school ways — silly, hilarious, and outrageous. Time stopped. We were teenagers again.

The classes of 1966 to 1986 convened in a location on the opposite side of the world from our school on Okinawa. I recognized names from Facebook but could not match their faces from their photos in the yearbooks.

What happened in the years that have engraved the lines on our faces and greyed the remaining hairs on our heads? Who have pursued their dreams of traveling the world? Who have fulfilled their career ambitions? Who are taking pride in the families and homes they have built?

I was amazed at the different paths we took. Among the ninety guests were a few grandmothers and grandfathers and one great-grandmother-to-be. Many older than me had retired, and some were winding down their careers for that final leg of life. Others in the “sandwich generation” spoke of financing their children through college and looking after their aging parents. Which group did I belong to? Should I be thinking of winding down and settling down? Could I have taken another path?

After the high school reunion, I made deliberate appointments to reconnect with everyone I could find on my way northbound. I stayed with friends and engaged in long conversations about our journeys and took part in their daily lives.

The college friends, who had become empty nesters, were now free to indulge in their hobbies and plan for retirement. Those without children continue to globe trot, living and working in different parts of the world, with or without pay. It was refreshing to talk shop with my ex-colleagues in energy, talk music with my piano teacher, walk down memory lane with others, and dance the night away.

Reunion is time travel. As I type this, I am looking forward to yet another high school reunion — a much smaller one in Charleston, South Carolina. I will jam music with a member of my band “The Lo Lo’s.”

The Lo Los and their fan club, Kubasaki High School, Okinawa