This has been a season for reunions, for me. My former team lead got married, so my old team gathered to be with her at her wedding. It's also my 30-year high school reunion, held at our friend's ranch in the country. Both were amazing experiences.
I grew up in a very social household. My Dad was a minister, so parishioners were ever present in our house, in our community, in our lives. We lived on a horseshoe shaped street, so our yard was the shortest route to the grocery store. We had constant traffic through our yard, of people going to pick up some groceries, so our porch in the backyard, had visitors that would just hang out, night and day. As an adult, it became important to me, to have privacy. So, when there is some social function, I go through a series of qualifications, before I commit to attend. With all these reunions, it was tough to say "no".
It had been a year, from when I was laid off, to Christina's wedding. I missed them so much, but wanted to make sure they knew, I was happier and healthier. I worked with them for several years, so I went into a mourning period when I was released. To have them talk about how things were going for them, I knew I got the better end of that deal. I honestly hoped that they could handle the load without me, but it seems that its only gotten worse for them. So, I assured them that there are better things to come for them, too. It was a wonderful validation.
Then it was a week later for my high school reunion. In the past, the school reunions were not particularly enjoyable. For some reason, I had a desire to go this year. Thankfully, immediately upon arrival an old friend greeted me and I relaxed and fell into a groove of sorts. It wasn't just about having shed 30 pounds of weight (they hadn't seen me, after all) or about having a great job, because I'm a contractor, so it's certainly not a stable job... not anything to be excited about. So, I connected with people whose cliques may have prevented us from getting to know each other in our teen years. It felt like time melted away all those barriers, and all I wanted to do was learn how their lives were going... about kids, work, music, etc.
Why is this relevant to this blog? We all carry baggage that time diminishes. If you are in a job that causes you stress, or is unhealthy for you, make a change. If change comes to you, approach it with faith that it's being presented to you as a challenge, and the real test is how you respond to it. And I promise to work harder to be more social and get out to see more friends.
