Nostalgia 101

In the past couple of days I've reconnected with people I haven't spoken to since I was a kid (literally from elementary school, junior high and high school). Long lost kids (now adults with kids of their own) that I never thought I would ever see or hear from again.

It's like traveling back in time. Just crazy stuff. And then to see how they turned out is truly something out of a science fiction novel. It's like fast forwarding 20 years later.

Revelations:
My junior high crush said he remember being interested in me but also be intimidated by me. It's hard for me to picture my 12 year old self as being very intimidating. But the fact that he remembers being interested in me back then - even if it's just a figment of his imagination - made the 12 year old inside of me smile. And of course the adult smiled even more knowing I'm in a better place in my life.

I found a childhood friend who used to live up the street from me, and we were friends since 1st or 2nd grade. My dad and her mom used to work at the same company in downtown LA eons ago - so even our parents knew each other. Then in the 7th grade we got into a fight that ruined our friendship. I always regretted never having said I was sorry. And lo and behold she's on facebook - and I jumped at the chance to apologize. Both of us can't remember what the fight was even about. And she surprised me by apologizing to me as well. This was one thing that weighed heavy on my heart for many years and now it's gone. (Ever seen the move "Flatliners"? It was like that. Instead of a little boy in a red, hooded sweatshirt chasing me - it was a little girl who I had been cruel to and it had been eating away at me for years.) I'm so thankful I got that opportunity and didn't have to carry it with me to the grave. And now catching up with her has been so much fun!

Another guy I knew in high school remembers me being "really smart" as he puts it. He owns his own bail bonds company and is very successful in his own right. He owns a home in Chino Hills and when the earthquake hit, he had just put in a new pool and the water was splashing up to 2 feet out of the pool. I mean you couldn't make this stuff up.

And then there's the guy who looked like Morrissey. He's an attorney with a newborn.

All this makes me think about my next high school reunion. I really want to go now. Enough time has passed that people really have changed and they're more real (hopefully!).