TURKEY DAY and MY 30th HS REUNION

This weekend was the annual Turkey Days in Worthington (the small town in southwestern Minnesota where Allen and I grew up). At one time, the town was known as the Turkey Capitol of the World! Not so much now. I doubt if there is anyone who even owns a turkey in the area. No matter. The Turkey Day celebration lives on and we were there to witness the day. We arrived on Saturday morning just in time to see Allen's dad cross the finish line in a 10K race. Good job, John! It was fun to see you run!

We spent a few minutes skipping rocks at Lake Okabena with boys. It was a beautiful day and just standing and looking out at the lake brought a flood of memories for both Allen and me. To go back to a time of your life that is so distant and so different is...weird. It's a world that really...no one in my current world (besides Allen and maybe our parents) knows anything about. It seems SO long ago! I guess it was.

Part of the Turkey Day festivities includes a turkey race. Our Worthington turkey (Paycheck) races a turkey from Texas (Ruby Begonia) for the prize. This year Paycheck won! It's all kind of ridiculous, but it's what we do in rural Minnesota. The two highlights of the parade for me was watching the Worthington High Marching Band go by and the Class of '79 float. Allen and I were both in the band. Our band days hold a lot of great memories for us. I think I even cried the last time I marched down Main Street

Turkey Day!!! Pathetic, but true!

The other great moment in the afternoon was when the Class of "79 float (otherwise identified as an undecorated flatbed!) came by. I chose not to ride the float, but was excited to see my old classmates come down the street. I cheered for them as I strained to see who was on the float. They were doing the "wave". Clever. Actually, it looked like they were all having a great time, but I quickly realized that I was having trouble recognizing anyone. I turned to Allen and said, "Who are those people??? I have no idea who they are!!!" I could recognize only two of my classmates. Reality had hit! My high school friends are getting OLD! It is truly amazing what happens to the body over 30 years!

Later in the day, we met in the park for an informal 30th reunion. It was there, where I got up close and personal to those strangers on the float that it all started to come back to me. Oh yeah...I could finally recognize my old classmates. For some, the hair had disappeared. For others, it had turned a different color - mostly grey! Some had gained weight...others just shifted it around. For most of us, the faces were what changed the most. They were different, older with more lines and wrinkles...and yet familiar. The thing that didn't seem to change was personalities. It was all very interesting. It made me realize how important those three or four years of high school were in shaping us into who we would become. It really was pretty fun going back to revisit that time in my life.

Word is...we are going to have a 33rd reunion. I think I'll go!