Finer with age

Mark and I had a group of our college friends over to our house on Saturday. We haven’t seen some of these people in four to five years and yet we all managed to pick right up where we left off—laughing at the stupid, wild and ridiculous (but very fun) things we did in college, talking about the crazy (but fun) people we work and socialize with now, and watching the kids run around the yard and make crowns out of foam board and feathers.

One observation several of us made is that we’re all aging pretty well (you know, because we are definitely the most objective group to make that assessment). No but seriously, we really are. No one has any really serious wrinkle issues and while some of us cough, cough confess to smothering our grays with a good hair dye, that’s the only sign of aging we have at this point.

Sitting around our dining room table, sipping wine from crystal goblets and noshing on cheesecake, we laughed about how this scene would have seemed so foreign to us all when we were in school. Back then fine dining was $1 spaghetti night at Cavallo's (and in case you didn’t notice, approximately 16 years of inflation has raised that price to a whopping $1.50.) A high-end alcoholic beverage probably meant Sam Adams from a bottle vs. Miller Lite in a keg.

I wish we could all get together more often, but we all know how that goes . . . life just gets going. In fact, this is a gathering I’ve been thinking about for at least a year, maybe two, but I never did anything about until now. And I’m so glad I did. It’s so important to reconnect with people in your life who you enjoy spending time with, even if it’s only once in a while.

I think my friend Linda said it best. “I might not be the best at e-mailing or keeping in touch, but I smile and think of you all often and always wish everyone the best.”

Right back at you – all of you.