Darling you got to let me know...

Even though it’s about 1 ½ years before the big 50-year reunion, some members of the class of 1975 are already wavering on the “should I go?” dilemma. While the committee is dedicated to making the weekend so appealing, so accessible, so do-able that our turnout will be phenominal, the doubters and the hesitators have their reasons. Fair enough. 

Let’s address some of them with the hopes of provoking some serious reconsideration. Here are the top reasons.

My high school years weren’t happy ones, and I’d prefer not to re-live them, thank you very much.

Legit reason. Maybe there is absolutely nobody you care to see, and a night of revelry and nostalgia, food and dancing, catching up and reminiscing with “those people” is not for you, period. We probably all have painful memories of those years, some of which may be hard to shrug off. Throwing away emotional baggage, even after 50+ years, can feel like a lost cause. So be it…if we can’t change your mind. I hope we can, but we get it.

Nobody will remember me anyway.

Doubtful, but maybe you weren’t a leader (no shame in that); maybe you weren’t a joiner either. You’ve lost track of everyone you used to hang out with, and have awkward memories of eating your lunch alone, or staying home on prom night. Listen–you may be surprised at how many of your classmates remember you, but let’s say your name doesn’t ring a bell to any of us. It’s ok! We are a friendly group and would love to get acquainted!

I am practically unrecognizable from my teen self, and will be too self-conscious.

Not to be unsympathetic, but you’ve got to be kidding! It’s been 50 years since graduation for every single one of us. None of us are in the position to judge another person’s appearance, even if we were shallow and childish (none of us are). Gained a lot of weight? Lost a lot of hair? I could go on, but you know the list. Well, welcome to the club. Look around if you must. We’re all equally old and will truly appreciate who you — you—have become. We survived acne! That high school breakup didn’t break us! We recovered from scores of things we felt we would never get over. Nope, we don’t look the same. We’re a different kind of ‘senior’ now. Unrecognizable? Large print name tags will take care of that.

Ok, so looks don’t count. But I haven’t been particularly “successful.” I’m not excited to share my failures.

It’s common to have personal reasons to feel insecure, sure. I’m not wealthy like ___. I haven’t raised scholars or professionals or talented offspring like ___. My career path was less than stellar, unlike that of ___ and ___. Hey, can we eliminate those pointless comparisons for one weekend? Because that’s just life. Share what you want to share and don’t feel pressured to apologize for your circumstances. Listen politely to people who internally make your eyes roll—I’d be surprised if there are any—then get on with the party. We sincerely want you there.

I’d go, but there’s no way I can afford to buy tickets, let alone the cost of travel and lodging.

Yeah, there’s that. Legitimate excuse. But maybe there’s hope. Can we take into account that it’s been 10 years (!) since we’ve incurred reunion costs? If COVID did anything, it spared our classmates of the undeniable expenses of the 45^th reunion, which we planned, but had to reschedule twice, and finally had to throw in the towel. *Groan* I don’t even want to think about the time COVID stole from the 45-year Reunion committee of two. But I digress. My point is, the money not spent in 2020 can be applied to 2025, at least in theory.

The 50-year reunion committee is really trying to beef up our class treasury. We’ll be assembling a fundraising sub-committee who will pull out all stops to keep ticket prices down. We’ve already asked for donations from those classmates who can afford to contribute (no takers yet, sadly), and if all this is as fruitful as we hope, we’d love to help pay towards the costs of some classmates who need the help, and keep ticket prices within the reach of all of us. We’re going to make this reunion very special while avoiding any costly extravagances. A good balance between frugal and unforgettable is the goal.

So many of us have died, or are sick, or disabled. It’s too depressing.

Yes, it sure is. You can guarantee there will be conversation about who we have lost, what ailments we ourselves are living through, and of a laundry list of evidence that we are in physical decline. Maybe we need to get all this out of our system early in the reunion, accept the bummer it all is, and move on to a night of celebration. Accepting the sad realities of loss is one of the primary reasons to attend our reunions. We are still here! WE ARE STILL HERE, and wow, it’s so nice to see that our classmates haven’t forgotten how to have a good time.

We sure could use your help! Please submit your thoughts  in the comment section below, or send fund-raising ideas to sweethome75reunion@gmail.com.