I recently attended a school reunion. Forty years on... Not a youth in sight... Furthermore I went along despite a bad case of the flu, leaving home at 4.00am , driving 30 kms to the airport and catching an hour long flight. While apologetic, 'me and my germs' just had to be there. And it was well worth it, for me at least.
This was our second reunion. Perhaps we broke the ice at our first. But it is ten years since then and forty years since we were at school together and we connected instantly, as if we had seen each other the previous day in a Science or English class. Forgive me if I am a little speechless. The sleeping giant awakes. What more can I say?
Friendship is important, and shared experiences at an important time of one's life count for a lot, I guess. I have had time to experiment with friendships in the last forty years, and have not always found them easy. Furthermore any that have been easy I could claim were forged from the stuff of shared experiences - experiences of some gravity or significance - shared fun comes to mind.
So, the kiln has been cooking my high school friendships for some forty years now. Some characteristics have shattered in the firing; yet, as is not uncommon when the creative process throws up gems, some human potential, long dormant, has not only weathered the firing but has realised a more sublime object than the artist ever imagined.
I'm sure I'm talking about more than my friendships and myself when I speak of the reunion in question. Many friendships make a successful reunion, of course. If so, the topic is beyond the scope of this brief blog, and beyond the scope of my imaginings. But allow me to start with my gaze upon myself and those I connect with and to see what is realised in the process of reflecting, which by its very nature requires time ...
This was our second reunion. Perhaps we broke the ice at our first. But it is ten years since then and forty years since we were at school together and we connected instantly, as if we had seen each other the previous day in a Science or English class. Forgive me if I am a little speechless. The sleeping giant awakes. What more can I say?
Friendship is important, and shared experiences at an important time of one's life count for a lot, I guess. I have had time to experiment with friendships in the last forty years, and have not always found them easy. Furthermore any that have been easy I could claim were forged from the stuff of shared experiences - experiences of some gravity or significance - shared fun comes to mind.
So, the kiln has been cooking my high school friendships for some forty years now. Some characteristics have shattered in the firing; yet, as is not uncommon when the creative process throws up gems, some human potential, long dormant, has not only weathered the firing but has realised a more sublime object than the artist ever imagined.
I'm sure I'm talking about more than my friendships and myself when I speak of the reunion in question. Many friendships make a successful reunion, of course. If so, the topic is beyond the scope of this brief blog, and beyond the scope of my imaginings. But allow me to start with my gaze upon myself and those I connect with and to see what is realised in the process of reflecting, which by its very nature requires time ...
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