Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Like Yesterday

Ten years and a few months ago, I graduated from Whitman College.  Tomorrow, I’m going back for my ten-year reunion.

 

After exchanging a few emails with friends about what to wear to the various events, I realized a few things.

 

First, that I will be dressed better than this, no matter what I wear:

 

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In the TriDelta chapter room, post donkey-stealing (no, alcohol was totally not allowed in the chapter room)

 

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Chunky black boots, tube tops… we are ready to party.

Secondly, I am unlikely to engage in many of the crazy behaviors that characterized my life back then:

 

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Body shots.  Because college.

But lastly, truthfully, I realized that I haven’t changed much.  I sort of expected to, you know?  I think I am more humble (if I do say so myself, tut tut), less quick to anger or become defensive, and more compassionate and empathetic now than when I was in college, but I’m still me.  I still want to go to alcohol-fueled parties all night long and do body shots, it’s just that I don’t have that kind of cleavage anymore and I really don’t want anyone but Tony to be doing the body shots and also I get really hungover now, so on second thought, I don’t want to do that anymore.  Okay, bad example.  But the truth in the statement is still there.  I am still me.  Just ten years older and wiser.  I’m a bit thinner, my hair is longer, I don’t wear big, black belts with all my jeans or babydoll t-shirts, but I am fundamentally me.

 

And that means, to my everlasting joy, that the people I will see again, for the first time in ten years, are also likely to still be the same people.  Maybe a bit more mellow, a bit more gracious, a bit less 22-years-old.  To our benefit, I think.  I like me now.  I’m prepared to really enjoy and appreciate my classmates now, more so than I did in 2003.

2 comments:

Megan and Jeff Vogel said...

Did you happen to know any of my law school buddies when you were at Whitman? Like Carrie Gage, John Goldmark, Riana Pfefferkorn, or Dave Brown?

I hope you had a great time at your reunion!

Amelia said...

Yes! I know all if them! I probably know Dave the best - he and my friend Mer used to go on these caffeinated rampages in my sorority section :)