I repent for everything I have done in the past ten years.

The BBQ Pit
1

My tenth year high school reunion is tomorrow. Tonight I met with some of my former classmates. It was a life changing experience for me.

Here I was, thinking I had it bad. And truth is, I’m pretty sure I did. Abusive family life: check. Abusive school life: check. Suicidal tendencies: check.

And yet, when I spoke to some of my fellow classmates, I realized that I didn’t go through jack shit.

I spoke with Crystal. She was very, very large in high school, and she took the abuse in stride, yet I know it hurt her. What I didn’t know was that she was abused by her father in ways that one can not describe, and she took it willingly to spare her dying mother the abuse. Now she is 150 pounds thinner and a wonderful person, which I was unable to realize in high school solely because she was fat. Knowing now what I didn’t know then, I would have kicked the living shit out of her father, but it’s too late.

I’m sorry, Crystal.

I used to make fun of the people who went to Vo-Tech because they were different. Now I realize that they were looking towards the future, which I lacked the foresight to do, basically because I had the misguided perception that they were rednecks.

I’m sorry, guys.

And then there’s Mike. He was a dirtbag to me, and I held him in disdain because of that. I knew then that he was a druggie, and because of that I held him in contempt. For that sin I was beaten, abused, and harassed in high school. Now he has squared himself away and is an E-6 in the Army. Yet for some reason I felt the need to tell him that it wasn’t cool what he did to me ten years ago.

I’m sorry, Mike.

I want everyone currently in high school to take note of this:

What people were then is not reflective of the people that they have the potential to become. I am guilty of misjudgment in so many cases, and for that I am sorry. I now consider that a failure on my behalf, and while I may be the only party to the situation showing any kind of remorse, it falls upon me to look back on what I have learned, And I have learned that high school is bullshit. Whatever social circle you run in, continue to do so. Do your own thing. Because in ten years it’s not going to matter worth a damn.

I’m sorry, guys. I’m sorry that I judged you. I can only ask for forgiveness and try to do better i the future. Hopefully I will have the strength to do so.

2

Airman, you’re a good guy. You’re introspective and you try hard to be the right kind of person and to do the right kind of thing. And most of what you say seems to me to be right on, with the exception of your regrets toward Mike. It’s great that he’s turned his life around, but people have to expect to live with the consequences of their actions. He caused you much more pain and unhappiness at the time you were in school than you may have caused him by bringing it up. I’m sure he’s ashamed of his actions at that time and he probably feels badly for the pain he inflicted on you (and others as well, most likely).

The great thing would be for you both to get it out in the open, put it behind you and move on. Perhaps you could even become friends. It’s been surprising to me how often in my life former enemies have become good friends. There seems to be a subconscious bond there due to past experiences that for some reason lends itself to an even stronger than usual friendship.

But don’t beat yourself up over what you said to him now. His wrong far outweighed yours, and ten years from now you’ll both have your wrongs (in this regard, at least :smiley: ) many years behind you and you’ll both feel better if you come to some sort of rapprochement now.

3

What a wonderful OP! Nothing is quite so beautiful as reconcilitation.

4

Airman – sounds like you’ve spent the last 10 years growing up a little – a good use of your time.

5

Reason # 429 not to go to your ten-year high school reunion!

I kid, I kid…

But seriously, it seems like you got something good out of the experience. Allow me to share two related revelations I had around the time of my 10th high school reunion (which I did not attend).

  1. A (non-high school) friend said to me “The playground never goes away.” The social situations you now realize were bullshit are still playing themselves out in your life today, only under the guise of “adult” relationships.

  2. The only things that still matter from high school are the friends you made there. Ditch the rest of it. It’s the fucking* past.

*the word “fuck” brought to you courtesy of the Pit.

6

The only thing wrong with this thread is that it lacks the vemom to belong in the Pit.

7

Or the venom. :smack:

8

Interesting thread. You’re a good guy Airman, and don’tcha ever forget it!

My 20th HS reunion is next year (holy crap…).

I always felt “less than” everybody else in HS, especially those rich kids (or so I thought). One girl, Paige, was typical of the “in crowd” (or so I thought). Apparently, though, we did travel in similar circles, as I found out years later, when I ran into her in an AA meeting! We missed each other by seconds and inches in all sorts of wierd places! :smiley: We are quite close now.

Hell, I’m looking forward to it. I look pretty good, feel great, love myself and my life, have two great kids. Nothing to worry about.

9

Airman- Great OP and thanks for making me think about how I react to people now, I spend a lot of the time thinking about the future and stuff like this never occurs to me… thanks.

10

Haven’t I been telling y’all that Shallow Hal is the greatest movie of this millennium?

11

Wow. Doors and I graduated highschool the same year. For some reason, I always imagined him as being much older than me.

12

HS class of '89 here. Deadeyesmom is '91. There is the cliquey part of HS at the dinner part of a reunion. You sit by your friends from HS. Hell we just had a wedding of one of our friends this past May and we all sat together and it was as if it was maybe 3-4 days since we last saw each other. Much to the embarassment of our wives. But at the reunions, during the social/drinking part of the evening, I have found that just about everyone that bothered to attend is a really neat person and most (there is that dumb fuckhead that hangs around) have taught me something about myself.