Rising waters

I’m looking forward to a “mini-reunion” with high school classmates in a few weeks at a South Carolina beach town. For some reason, a number of them have settled there, making it a nexus of sorts for us. It seems that within the past decade or so, participants felt our reunions became more enjoyable and anticipated. So, the people in South Carolina added events there, kind of recreating the Jersey shore beach parties of our youth. Golf, fishing and Metamucil have displaced some of the frolicking in the surf. We were a good-sized class (1,100) and many weren’t close back then, to say the least. But, those who have attended reunions have become connected. Franco was a class clown. Still is. We exchange witticisms on occasion, via the internet. In a rare serious moment, he commented on the growing sense of unity among the class. While we always had a potent class spirit, he thinks maturity has dissolved any of the puerile differences. I have a slightly different theory. In rising waters, all the animals take to the high ground and get along because they have a common nemesis. In the case, the rising waters are health issues and even death. The Grim Reaper visited us upon graduation, with many of the males being whisked off to war zones. He dropped in sporadically with others meeting their fates in crime and substance abuse. But, in recent years, he has become a more frequent visitor. We are the survivors and celebrate that, but not without toasting those who have passed before us. We will have a great time reveling in stories of the past and partying now because we know we should make the most of what we are fortunate enough to have. We still have life and each other. I’m really looking forward to it.