Soooooo I recently hosted my high school reunion and the experience served as a point of reference for me in a few different ways.
Two weeks ago I was sitting in my room thinking, damn, summer ’16 was one of the best summers of my life. Then I thought, damn, the year is almost over and nobody has mentioned a reunion. Then I thought, damn, looks like I’m finna plan this reunion. In that order.
Since I was a jit I’ve always been a pretty gregarious person. I learned the word gregarious in my ninth-grade English class (shoutout to Mrs. Finkelstein). But anyways I could damn near talk to a brick wall and find something in common with it. In high school I was cool with just about everybody. Even the quietest kid in my class I could vibe with at their frequency while still being myself.
me genuinely in flow state
Looking back I’ve realized that my superpower is bringing people together. I know I’m of the greatest use to the world, and to myself, when I’m connecting people. So deciding to plan my reunion was a no-brainer even if it was last-minute.
I’m a firm believer that sometimes magic is simply being willing to invest more time and energy into an idea than anyone else would deem reasonable. Sure my classmates would love to see each other again but the effort required to make that happen isn’t something most people would commit to. So this was an opportunity to flex my muscles.
I pulled out the yearbook and one by one reached out to every person I could find, sending each of them a personal message. I even hit up my 10th-grade English teacher. She came too!
Ms. Mello was one of my favorite teachers 🫂
And the reunion was everything I hoped it would be. It felt good to bring everyone together, and I gained a deep sense of satisfaction from the experience. For a brief moment, it felt like time stood still. Everyone who walked through the door was present without the weight of their adult responsibilities or the intricacies of everyday life.
More than anything, it was refreshing to feel like a kid again with the very people I grew up being kids with.
Elias, Pedro, and I were on the wrestling team together
The experience reinforced something I’ve come to understand about myself: I’ll never be wrong for following my purpose. There are things we’re all innately drawn to, things we’re called to do, and it’s our responsibility, not only to ourselves but to the world, to lean into those things.
I made this a few years ago and it has guided all my decisions
It might not always make financial sense. It might even seem like a waste of time to others. But one thing you can’t put a price on is goodwill. And when you fill the cups of others, yours will forever runneth over(will probably never use the word runneth again so I took the opportunity sorry lol).
A great man doesn’t seek to lead. He’s called to it, and he answers.
me asking someone a deeply personal question that’s none of my business and hoping they respond well 🤣
