Determined To Succeed

Happy weekend, my friends. I am just returned from attending Kenwood Academy’s 40-year all-class high school reunion. I have to say I wasn’t quite sure what to expect exactly. There’s a part of me that was expecting sweeping changes, the futuristic visions we’ve all seen in movies – an almost completely foreign inside building with only the outside facade remaining. Then there’s part of me that was hoping it didn’t change THAT much. That I would still recognize the layout, classrooms and even some of the people – so that coming back meant, in part, coming home.

It was both.

I woke up yesterday excited at the chance to visit Kenwood, and that excitement turned into vast hunger and I all but inhaled a huge (HUGE) breakfast that I knew was bad for me (and this after having my requisite hot dogs). Ugh. But I ate knowing I was saving myself for the main event, and not knowing what kinds of food would be served I wanted to be prepared for anything.

I am glad I ate that huge breakfast, too, because I sat in the second worst traffice of my entire life (the first worst being one gruelling two-hour morning on southbound Lake Shore Drive going probably half the distance) on my way to the thing. It took me two-and-a-half hours to get there from near the airport to Hyde Park. Add to that my growing excitement and I was thinking I was definitely going to be hungry.

When I arrived there was only one other person from my 1988 graduating class, Dionne, who also just happened to be the event organizer. So instead of catching up she had things to do, places to go and people to kill which left me standing there watching as others saw their classmates, gave hugs and talked about the past x-number of years.I felt a bit alone, but there was a cool sense of being back in something that looked – and felt – familiar. So I just stood there and drank it in.

Surprisingly, there were a ton of people from Kenwood’s original 1970 graduating class. It was so cool to be standing there amongst people who were there to “break in” the school, who saw it’s brand new walls, who named its King Room (yes, after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and who were the first to graduate from this awesome place.

Then, something remarkable happened. As I was talking to several people from the 1970 graduating class it occured to one guy whose name escapes me (sorry, dude) who said, “so, you were born the year we graduated high school?!” All of a sudden, in a world that today seems to be filled with people getting younger and younger, I felt like the young one. I somewhat embarrassingly said “yes, sir. I was,” but thought to myself “I never thought I’d hear someone say that to me about me. Sweet.”

Then a few familiar faces showed up and the evening got better – and louder. People from almost every class were so excited to see people and all of us, with our respective classmates, walked the halls one last time. We noticed the big things were still the same: the buildings and halls were the same, the restrooms on each floor STILL had the front doors removed. Hell, even the band room, save for one piece of new digital looking equipment almost hidden in the front looked exactly the same. The auditorium had the same seats and the halls almost had even the same smell if there ever was such a thing. It was the small differences that made the night – the wonderful addition of wheelchair-accessible elevators at key points in the building, the new lockers were really skinny (to accomodate many more students, I guess) AND BLUE. Metal and weapon detectors at all the entrances (very sad it’s come to that in high schools these days). Kids talking on and texting with cell phones (if we wanted to get a message to someone we had to – gasp – pass notes).

The best new addition – a fully-stocked weight and workout room. This thing was so cool. All of us 86-87-88ers marvelled at it and became instantly jealous that students, on a free period, could work out if they wanted. And that the teams had far better equipment to use. Freaking sweet. That thing was better equiped than my gym. It’s wonderful to see fitness actually take hold in schools.

I didn’t stick around for the food, though (chicken, veggies and pasta). By almost ten o’clock I was done. I had walked the halls, laughed with old friends and remembered what it was like to be young again. God, how I wish I could go back to that time in my life. I do, sometimes. We all do sometimes. But as I walked out I noticed the newer generation of current Kenwood Broncos enjoying themselves and making the memories that will make them come back to this place twenty years from now.

As you are now, I once was. As I am now, you will be.

I thought about that wonderful saying as I ate my turkey BLT club trying to avoid the fries but failing. I may not be that young anymore but I do have the rest of my life to look forward to because I’ve lost this weight. Who know? I might not even have been here now if I hadn’t lost it all. No matter what, I am glad I went. I will be a Bronco for life and the memories I made in that school have become a part of the living history of it.

I just hope the food in the lunchroom isn’t the same. Although, I do miss a good piece of cheese toast and the taste of a dry-ass cheeseburger every now and then.

How many of you went to your 20-year high school reunion? Show of hands…anyone…anyone…Bueller…Bueller… Two years ago in August was my 20th anniversary of graduating high school and I didn’t go primarily because, one, it was expensive, and two, because of Facebook. Yes, that nifty little thing called Facebook connected me with so many wonderful people from those days I thought it would be unnecessary to attend.

Well, that was then and this is now.

Recently I learned that good ‘ol Kenwood Academy was hosting an all-class 40-year reunion today, actually held at the school. You know, just like in the movies. In “Superman III,” “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion,” “Zack and Miri,” and so many more the heroes go back to their respective high schools and the wackiness ensued from there. I always secretly thought that was cool since I was nerdy enough to like certain aspects of my schooling particularly the bricks and mortar that made up my “homes away from home.”

So it was with (mild) reckless abandon that I quickly packed a bag and headed to Chicago today to attend tonight’s festivities. Another thing that is making me happy is the fact that the monies collected actually go to programs at the school, not some cheesy banquet hall, hotel or other facility (and it’s cheaper – God, I am getting old).

Now as you guys know, Chicago food hits you as soon as you get off the plane, but I was good and avoided the temptations of my sweet home Chicago Chicago-style hot dogs (and no offense intended toward my friends in and around Philly. Hot dogs, Italian Beef sandwiches, pizza and Chinese food is all different – and better – here, like when you guys get a cheesesteak from your favorite places). However, I didn’t avoid that temptation for long and had a couple, with everything, fries and (sigh) a Coke.

But it was goooooooooooood!

OK, with the craving for hot dogs out of my system I have to both go for a workout today AND avoid over-indulgence. The latter shouldn’t be too hard, although I do want to eat before I get to the reunion which is tonight because I need to avoid the sweet food temptations of my old neighborhood (Harold’s Chicken or Valois anyone?) as well as the foods being served at the reunion, itself. While I am sure the food will be good, I get in trouble with all-you-could-eat situations like that and want to avoid that if I can.

So where is the middle ground?

Middle ground (and I don’t know why but Middle Earth somehow came to my mind – my PRECIOUS!!!) comes in the form of egg rolls from my favorite place in the world right now for Chinese food. It’s on Michigan Avenue downtown called Sixty-Five Seafood and they have egg rolls, bbq pork noodles, kung pao chicken and pepper steak to die for. They are PRECIOUS!!!!

This means I will be swinging by there later today for a combination late lunch/grab some hometown egg rolls/stave off the other bad foods run. I am so looking forward to it. Then I will be off to the reunion.

I am feeling a bit goofy today. I feel younger. I think about so many things from those many long-put-away days from 1984 – 1988 especially food, when I ate whatever I wanted seemingly without consequence. I think about what I wanted to do in life. I think about where I’d thought I’d be…

…I think about my mom, JoAnn (and you can bet your bottom dollar I will be swinging by the park where I spread her ashes to say HI).

Most of all I think about time and how precious (no reference intended…this time) a gift it is. I may be slightly more than two decades removed from gym period, english class, history, driver’s ed, biology and (ick), trigonometry, but I nowe have a grasp on one thing I didn’t back then – myself and how I eat. I want to be around for a good, long time and losing the weight I did has dramatically helped me prolong my life. It helped me not goive into the self-fulling prophecies of obesity – poor quality of life, immobility and potential sudden medical “episodes” like strokes and heart attacks. It also helped me become more active so I can enjoy things I never could before – like even sitting on a plane, in the middle seat (it was what was available) and not have to worry if I’d be making people uncomfortable on either side, and dancing and bopping to my favorite 80s songs from time to time (I hope they play some tonight).

That is why I am no longer worried about food when I come home. Sure it’s better (it’s always better in your hometown) but nothing – NOTHING – is better than the taste of adding years and quality to your own life.

Now, bring on that reunion and let’s “Wang Chung” tonight, and I will tell Clark Kent, Romy and Michelle, Zack, Miri and Ferris you say HI.