Question about long-lost friends and reunions...

[KansDem]

Poll question: Question about long-lost friends and reunions...

A couple of years ago I reacquainted with a few "long-lost friends" from high school. Our 40th reunion is coming up in 2011 and we thought we'd all get together for a few laughs. We would make it a "long weekend" and not only attend the reunion but do some partying before and after the event. I was pretty excited at the time, but that excitement is waning due to the fact that these friends of mine have done pretty well: doctor, lawyer, college administrator, etc.

My career(s) have taken a few detours over the decades and I'm afraid I can't claim to be as far along or well accomplished as they are. Now, I know true friendship doesn't recognize income and status, but I'm beginning to believe that we should just get together for a few hours at the reunion and reminisce. Perhaps it'd be better if that's all we do.

Any DUers have any comments? Maybe similar situations?

[debbierlus]

1. Your career doesn't define you - enjoy meeting with your friends

Success isn't defined by a job, btw. True success is being a loving, giving, good person.

:)

[tigereye]

2. people seemed simply glad to see old friends at the ones I attended

they really didn't seem to be much concern about career success - they just had fun reminiscing, although it was really fun to hear what people had done with their lives.

[mnhtnbb]

3. Having just attended my 40th high school reunion with the

people I knew from only two years in that high school--I say go.

I'm also going later this month to the 40th reunion of the class I would have graduated with if I hadn't moved. These were kids I knew in elementary and middle school, including best friends that I have since gotten together with for weekends in Atlanta, Boston, New York, after not having seen these friends in 30+ years after they 'found' me on the internet several years ago.

If they were really your best friends, you will be amazed at how easily you pick up and re-establish
the camaraderie you once had. Do it.

[pitohui]

4. it sounds miserable, personally, no i wouldn't attend

i've been working as a professional gambler the last few years and there's two kinds of people who look me up from the olden days...people who want to borrow money and people who want to borrow money

wait...that's only one type of person, the only type of person who EVER comes at you from out of the past

high school was 3 or 4 years a long, long time ago, if they didn't bother to keep in touch for 40 years and now just popped out of nowhere to brag about how successful they are...fuck 'em is my humble opinion

TRUE friendship doesn't go 38 years before getting back in touch, there's no friendship here, there's people who are now questioning their own choices in life and want to find a "failure" to lord it over, or (on the other hand) people who are broke on their ass and want to find a "success" to hit up for money

if someone didn't want to know me when i was wandering in the desert, fuck em when they try to get in touch with me now

call me a bad attitude but that's the way i feel

"your career doesn't define you" -- that's an interesting opinion but in reality the way you chose and/or were forced to spend your life, hell, yes, that defines you -- !!!

i'd rather meet someone i never knew than someone i didn't know for 20 or 30 years who suddenly pops out...they have a motive when they do that and it ain't pretty...doesn't matter if it's ego or money...it's ugly

[frogmarch]

5. Longstanding friendships are

nice, and I'm still in touch with several good friends from high school, but I've steered clear of high school reunions ever since I was voted as "the classmate who had changed the most for the better" at my 20th. Assholes.

[latebloomer]

7. Left-handed compliment!

Is that now politically incorrect to say?

[applegrove]

6. I lost some friends a lifetime ago it seems. Some of them I'd rekindle friendship with

if I had the chance, some of them I don't want to go near.

[latebloomer]

8. Well, if you've gotten together with them fairly recently

and enjoyed it, you'd probably enjoy it again.

If they're good people they won't be focusing on comparing your career to theirs.

[triguy46]

9. One evening, a few drinks, every 10 years is about right. More is too much...

in that the relationships have been frozen in time, and thawing will not help.