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Took a trip down memory lane yesterday...
I had a work meeting at my old high school, of all places! It was a planning meeting for one of my clients, who is a student there. Talk about deja-vu! It may have been 14 years since I stepped foot in the halls of OP, but I tell ya, it felt like I never left!
There were some changes, of course. A little re-organising here, a little re-decorating there...but all-in-all, it was still my high school. I'm not sure how I feel about my memories of high school, some are good, others I'd rather not have brought up. I wasn't the most popular kid, for the most part, I was very awkward, socially inept, and pretty much a loner. I really didn't hang out with a lot of people, with the exception of a few kids on the track/cross-country teams. I really enjoyed being part of that crew, but since track tends to be an individual sport as opposed to a team sport, there isn't the camraderie you gain through other sports teams like soccer, volleyball, basketball, etc. The closest you come in track is a relay team. And I'm proud to say, I was a member of one of the most successful relay teams in the school (and area!) for 4 years.
I really haven't kept in touch with any of my friends from high school. We all went our separate ways in university/college, or through work, etc. Being the loner that I was, I didn't know how to maintain connections with friends and acquaintances. It makes for a lot of "I wonder where so-and-so is these days..."
I was really quite excited when I found out that OP was having a reunion last summer, I thought that maybe I'd connect with some old friends again. Alas, it was not to be. Of all the OP alumni that contacted the reunion website and message board, there was a severe lack of respondents from my years. It was really quite interesting -- there were tons of people from the years before I started, and tons from the years after I graduated, but there seemed to be this big, black hole for the years I was there. (for those who are wondering, I went to Orchard Park high school from 1987 to 1992) I was really hoping I could connect with some of the old track team from those years.
Oh, well....
Am I sounding a little maudlin? I hope not! I'm just reminiscing a little, and wishing some things could have been different. I do tend to look forward, though. I know I'm a much better person than I was back then. I still have the same feelings of awkwardness and shyness, especially when I'm in a new, unfamiliar situation, but I've learned how to deal with it in a way that doesn't isolate me from social opportunities. And there are some great memories from back then, especially when I think about the track and cross-country meets. I guess it really was the athletics that helped me get through high school.
So to all my old track buddies from OP, thank you! Chris Conroy, Shane Cooke, Stevan Ivancevic, Wheels (Julie Start), Tracy Depass, Brenda Marsillo, Dan Dumouchel, and we can't forget Mr. Roddy! (may the Roddy Shuffle live on!!) I hope you all were able to follow the path you wanted when we all parted ways in the early '90's, and that you are all well.
OK, enough living in the past, on to the future!....
I had a work meeting at my old high school, of all places! It was a planning meeting for one of my clients, who is a student there. Talk about deja-vu! It may have been 14 years since I stepped foot in the halls of OP, but I tell ya, it felt like I never left!
There were some changes, of course. A little re-organising here, a little re-decorating there...but all-in-all, it was still my high school. I'm not sure how I feel about my memories of high school, some are good, others I'd rather not have brought up. I wasn't the most popular kid, for the most part, I was very awkward, socially inept, and pretty much a loner. I really didn't hang out with a lot of people, with the exception of a few kids on the track/cross-country teams. I really enjoyed being part of that crew, but since track tends to be an individual sport as opposed to a team sport, there isn't the camraderie you gain through other sports teams like soccer, volleyball, basketball, etc. The closest you come in track is a relay team. And I'm proud to say, I was a member of one of the most successful relay teams in the school (and area!) for 4 years.
I really haven't kept in touch with any of my friends from high school. We all went our separate ways in university/college, or through work, etc. Being the loner that I was, I didn't know how to maintain connections with friends and acquaintances. It makes for a lot of "I wonder where so-and-so is these days..."
I was really quite excited when I found out that OP was having a reunion last summer, I thought that maybe I'd connect with some old friends again. Alas, it was not to be. Of all the OP alumni that contacted the reunion website and message board, there was a severe lack of respondents from my years. It was really quite interesting -- there were tons of people from the years before I started, and tons from the years after I graduated, but there seemed to be this big, black hole for the years I was there. (for those who are wondering, I went to Orchard Park high school from 1987 to 1992) I was really hoping I could connect with some of the old track team from those years.
Oh, well....
Am I sounding a little maudlin? I hope not! I'm just reminiscing a little, and wishing some things could have been different. I do tend to look forward, though. I know I'm a much better person than I was back then. I still have the same feelings of awkwardness and shyness, especially when I'm in a new, unfamiliar situation, but I've learned how to deal with it in a way that doesn't isolate me from social opportunities. And there are some great memories from back then, especially when I think about the track and cross-country meets. I guess it really was the athletics that helped me get through high school.
So to all my old track buddies from OP, thank you! Chris Conroy, Shane Cooke, Stevan Ivancevic, Wheels (Julie Start), Tracy Depass, Brenda Marsillo, Dan Dumouchel, and we can't forget Mr. Roddy! (may the Roddy Shuffle live on!!) I hope you all were able to follow the path you wanted when we all parted ways in the early '90's, and that you are all well.
OK, enough living in the past, on to the future!....
You know, I debated for months whether I'd go to that. I kept checking back at the guest books to see if I recognized any names (how annoying that it wasn't alphabetical or chronological or something) and saw a few, but, like you, not a whole lot.
So after checking with the two girls I do keep in touch with from OP, and finding they weren't going (plus not having the money--it was expensive!!) I didn't go either.
Sometimes the past is best left in your behind. (To paraphrase the Lion King).