Where Are They Now?

High school reunions are like a “Where Are They Now?” episode of reality TV, except we’re all contestants.

“Where Are They Now?” We wonder that a lot. That’s one reason we love high school reunions. What does that look like when you meet again?

There are several parts to that question which tend to be important to us when we reconnect as alumni.

• Physical location. Is that person relatively close to where they grew up? If so, it’s easy to get together for dinner or a drink. If not, are they where you are vacationing or travelling for work?
• Family situation. Married, kids, single?
• Big adventures. Did they serve in the military, become an astronaut, or open a business?
• Personal well-being. How are they… really? The deeper stuff.

We all want to be known. It’s a natural exchange in any friendship to share who we are with the other person. There are layers of knowing people. As we reacquaint ourselves with old friends, we ask in those layers and build toward the important stuff. Sometimes, we get straight to the core of things as if we spoke just yesterday.

When you organize a reunion, it isn’t about the venue, the events, or the dress code. That’s all fun, but not the point. Likewise, we you attend a reunion, look for ways to get beyond the superficial stuff.

Here’s one way it could look:

“Hey, Jimmy!” Juan said, walking up to Jimmy in the high school gymnasium. 

Juan has a collar beard and a little more weight than from his days running track. He’s dressed in a smart dark suit with a silk tie.

Jimmy is thin and bald, with horned-rimmed glasses, and is sporting spirit gear he picked up from the huigh school website the week before.

“Juan!”

“20 years? You’re looking good, old man,” Juan said.

“Right back atcha. Where have you been?” Jimmy said, giving Juan a hug. “And dude, who are you calling old?”

“Right here, right here. I’m living in my dad’s house. A wife, two kids, and a dog. Living the life. You?” Juan replied. He pulled out his phone to show him some photos.

“Yeah, man–you did good. I’m in for a few days from Memphis. Second wife. First one turned me in for a richer model. No kids,” Jimmy responded, showing Juan a photo of his recent wedding in Maui.

“Oh man. You good?” Juan said.

“Yeah, Margaret, my wife, is good to me. I’m a lucky man. I’m a branch manager at a bank.” The smile on Jimmy’s face grew.

Juan sipped his drink and looked up surprised. “You? You stunk at math. Didn’t you fail algebra or something?”

“I do, but I can work a calculator. And no, I passed algebra. Don’t go making stuff up. I got a C, thank you very much.” Jimmy gave Juan a playful shove.

Juan and Jimmy sit down and show a few more photos as they share more details about their lives. They have 20 years to catch up, but quickly, they move into more substantial conversation. They were great friends back in the day, but life pulled them apart. They are remembering how much they cared for each other and had each other’s back when girlfriends dumped them, Juan needed a ride to his job at the restaurant, and when Jimmy failed a chemistry test.

There’s still more ground to cover, so they exchange phone numbers and email addresses, with promises to talk soon.

Where are they now? Waiting for you to connect.