A Trip Down Memory Lane

Let me say, up front, that I am not a fan of Kid Rock. No way. Nuh-ah.

But a recent song of his – “All Summer Long” – has taken my fancy, and I just can’t stop it humming around my head. Check out the interesting film clip here.

So, why on earth does it appeal to me? One reason: nostalgia. Kid speaks of the “summer of ’89”, and, believe it or not, that was one of my favorite summers. I finished high school at the end of 1988 (the Australian school year finishes in December), and that song reminds me of that heady, intense, amazing feeling of freedom, of having our whole futures ahead of us yet living very much in the moment. I’m not saying I indulged in all of Kid’s excesses, but I DID enjoy myself. And why not?

The song is timely, as well, because my high school’s senior class held its 20-year reunion a couple of weekends ago. I somehow volunteered to do the nametags, so I already knew who was going – and we included mugshots from our senior magazine (yearbook) on the nametags to make it easier to recognize people. But even though I knew who would be at the reunion, it was still an absolutely surreal experience. It took me quite a while to get over looking at a roomful of faces that were familiar but somewhat softened or slightly altered by time.

In my senior year, I was good friends with a couple of really lovely girls – Kylie and Rachel. The first photo here was taken on our last day of school back in ’88, in the school assembly hall. I’m on the left (what’s with the pasted-on piranha grin?), Kylie’s in the middle and Rachel’s on the right. Look at our beautiful baby faces! We all met up again at the reunion – we’d lost touch over the years – and it was amazing how we slotted right back into our friendship, without any awkwardness at all. And see how gorgeous we still all look? (I’m on the right-hand side of the reunion picture.)

There was such a great vibe in the room, with so many fun memories shared, and friendships created or renewed. I looked at the familiar faces and just wished happiness for each of them. I hope we’re all where we want to be, and are living authentic, satisfying lives. I know that probably isn’t the case for everyone, but I so wish it could be.

I went to the reunion to reconnect with people, but also because I’m curious about people’s life paths – what made them take this turn, or that? Are they heading towards what makes them truly happy? I’m glad to say that many are.

The reunion has been a real time of reflection for me, of re-living those intense feelings of youth and acknowledging the journey I’ve taken so far. I really don’t feel 37 – I just feel like “me”!

Things have also changed so much, technology-wise, since ’88 – as Kid says, “we didn’t have no internet”. No email, no MP3s, no mobile phones. They came along soon after, but they weren’t a part of our everyday lives. Post-reunion, we’ve been having a lot of fun with Facebook, meaning that many of us can now easily keep in touch with each other. Gotta love computers, even if many of us struggle with them!

Technology will be a natural part of my daughter’s lives – I wonder how different those late teenage years will be for them, compared with my own? Or will those years be that different, really? Oh boy, oh boy…