Yesterday, I shared what I managed to get right at the reunion. Now, it’s time to confess at least a few of the things I got wrong.
Fail No. 1 — I reverted to type.
If you are an adult with siblings, and the bunch of you get together for holidays or large family functions, you likely have witnessed or experienced yourself a “revert to type.” To revert to type is “to come or go back, as to a former condition, period, or subject.”
For example, if your younger brother, who yanked your ponytail constantly when you were growing up but is now actually a mature, stand-up person, totally yanks your ponytail every time you’re both at Mom’s, he’s reverting to type, slipping into the kid brother role he had for so long. Meanwhile, you can’t believe the Typical Older Sister stuff coming out of your mouth. Reverting to type might not feel great, but at least it feels familiar.
Well, I reverted to type the other night. I got nerdy. Nervous. I tried to be funny and sort of was, sometimes, but mostly I was just clammy and didn’t know where to put my hands or how to not say lame things to people to whom I always managed to say lame things. I wasn’t hopeless in high school, but I had frequent clammy encounters. Anyway, it happened at the party and it was weird. I’ve come a long way since high school — so how come I forgot all that stuff when I tried to insert myself into conversations?
Fail No. 2 — I drank too much.
(See: reverting to type.) Not that I drank in high school — I could count on one hand the times I did. No, I mean that because I felt nervous, my cup was never empty. On top of that, I’m on a new medication and I think the combo made me pretty spacey. It’s not like I had a lampshade on my head at the end of the night, but I spent the next day feelin’ barf-o-riffic, indeed. Go high school!
Fail No. 3 — I didn’t take many pictures. And I didn’t tackle the hosts to thank them for everything before I left. Super lame.
Okay, so that’s two in one. I probably wasn’t the only reveler who sort of drifted off as the party broke up, but that’s not usually my way. And though I can’t do much about the first thing, I’ve got an idea to remedy the second.
Now that done a little get realin’, it’s time to brush my teeth and go to bed. Oh wait:
Fail No. 4 — Definitely did not brush my teeth before I went to bed Saturday night.
I was so good about that in high school.
Kathryn Darnell
That just suck when we revert to type. We feel the weight of the world on our shoulders and forget those “coping, I am better, smarter than I was” techniques we have picked up on life’support journey. Brush your teeth and push ahead. You’re not alone, you have cheerleaders! Go Mary, Go Mary!
Deb Johnson
You are ‘normal’ Mary……….and I bet 99% of other attendees didn’t notice because they were obsessed with their own behavior! I spent my last reunion – my 40th- having one long hot flash. ughhh My best quote of the evening? “Wow, think about it…we are almost 60 and by our next reunion, we’ll all be almost 70!” Talk about putting a pall on the event……………and I said it more than once!
I might skip the next reunion…………yep. 😉
Hugs, Deb
Colleen
Your good list is longer better carries more weight than your tiny little ittybitty bad list. Enjoy the memories and time spent with your first friend
Jessie
Mary, it was so great to see you at the reunion and I had so much fun catching up with you! I have been making the mental list of my own successes and failures all Sunday and Monday too. Even after 20 successful years of life since high school, getting bsck together definitely surfaced some old insecurities! But I think we rocked it! You chose the right outfit and company, and I really don’t consider drinking too much to be a failure! You were in good company on that one. Hope to see you at the 25, if not sooner.
Barbara
If you had a good time, that’s all that matters. Now you have the memories and you got to be with Sar, how comfortable is that!
Time, The Revelator ('Reunion Report' Conclusion, At Least For Now.) - Mary Fons
[…] just that there was so much to think about. I had to space things out. I had to plug in the iron, really press and smooth. I can’t figure anything out unless I […]