Posted this as a comment below, but thought I’d post it here, too. More thoughts later…these are a little incomplete.

I didn’t necessarily go to the reunion because I just SO adored everyone I went to school with, but because these are people who’s story arcs I’ve watched for 23 years, in some cases, and it’s facinating to see characters evolve. Maybe that’s just the writer in me talking (or the gossip) but I don’t think LIKING the people involved has much to do with it at all. Perhaps I’m too much of a social scientist for my own good, but I didn’t see this as an opportunity to mix ‘n’ mingle as much as an opportunity to observe and be facinated by the process of aging, personal development, adaptation, etc.

Remember: this was a high school on an ISLAND. You want to talk about isolated and sheltered? It’s really interesting to me to see how people from an environment like that have adapted to the world…I know how the process went for me (bumpy, awkward, exciting, etc), but I’m curious to no end about how it went for others.

Now, does that mean there weren’t some people I was excited to see? No, it was good to see a lot of folks. I just find it a little short-sighted (not to mention arrogant) to assume that you’re the only person who’s evolved since high school.