Last Wednesday, I woke up at an ungodly hour of 3:00 am and got ready quickly to be dropped off at our local airport. I was flying across the country to meet a bunch of my friends, some of whom I last saw when I left high school in 1993. Yeah! I know I am dating myself here. Navigating the mess that is the Philly airport’s security check line, I feared I would miss my flight but made it just as they were boarding. Settling into a window seat, I relaxed. In the next six odd hours of travel that included a flight change and layover, I reveled in how light I felt. All I carried was a backpack. There were no kids or husband in tow. I was not constantly monitoring who was where or if anyone needed to use the bathroom or was hungry or carrying a barf bag for the eventuality that one or all of the kids would throw up.

For hours on end, it was just me for me. I didn’t browse the phone or people watch. I zoned out in a way that felt like luxury. I did absolutely nothing and soaked in the joy of just being. Reaching California, the first couple of days was spend savoring my niece and my sister. Then my high school classmates picked me up a Friday afternoon. We hugged and looked at each other for a full two minutes before getting into the car and making the drive to the beach condo that was to be our home for the next two days.

We chatted, traded notes on where each of us have been since leaving school, shared information on our families and where we are now. We played cards, dived headfirst into nostalgia with Ilayaraja songs and ARR songs from the 90s. We watched a stand up comedy show that showcased music from our times and had every meal together. This coming together of people from my past was beautiful. It was glorious. It was everything my body and soul needed to feel nourished.

Before my trip, I had little to no expectation on how I wanted this reunion to unfold. All I had was a prayer that there would be no awkward moments or disagreements that would dampen our spirits. The group delivered and how. We formed smaller groups organically. We walked along the beach. We bantered and mock fought. We had a rare tense moment that defused naturally. Most of all, this group was all about relating. It was about reminiscing the different paths our lives had taken. It was about knowing without saying what some of those paths have been like. It was pure friendship and camaraderie.

As we parted, we hugged and laughed reminding ourselves never to forget how precious this time was. I flew home the following day luxuriating in what unencumbered travel looks like. I am happy to be home of course but would do this solo travel thing again in a heartbeat.

Friends Friendship Reunion School Travel Beach Friendship High School Reunion Travel Travel light Travel solo