Why Didn't I Know This Then?

With my high school reunion coming up, we’ve been asked to write a bio telling everyone where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to for the last 30 years,. This is what I came up with:

I left Oak Park for the west coast at the end of June 1980. I arrived in San Diego on July fourth weekend without giving a thought to the city I left behind. I never really felt comfortable in my own skin back in school and I was convinced that most of my classmates either didn’t know who I was or worse yet, didn’t care. Those aren’t unusual thoughts for those going through their teen years. I did have friends but was never truly a part of any “clique” in school.

I spent around 25 years in California. I started working in a grocery store soon after arriving and took the career path to retail management that seemed like the right thing for me. I got married when I was 29 and divorced at 44. I am proud to have helped raise, what I believe, are three great kids who are now making there way in the adult world that we’ve all been forced to grow into at one point or another.

After my divorce I moved to Naples Florida where I continued working in retail management. I was there for just over two years and decided to move back to Michigan to be closer to my mother and sister. The question of why I would ever move back to Michigan after living in some of the most desirable cities in the country is one I’m asked quite frequently. The answer is one that is being shown to me more and more as each day goes by.

It’s many of you at this reunion right here. Before moving back to the Detroit area I had an opportunity to move back to Naples and continue my career with the same company I had worked for before moving back here in 2007. I really had a hard time making the decision, as the job opportunity I had here was nothing that I had aspired to. During this decision making process I learned something about myself. Though I hate to admit it, I like you guys and once in a while I get the feeling you like me too.

I found that there’s something to be said about old ties, new friends and stepping outside of ones comfort zone. I reacquainted myself with so many of you it’s sometimes dizzying. I have the opportunity to go out and see any number of you on a daily basis. I don’t always take advantage of that opportunity but it’s there if I want it and that’s a good feeling. I’ve also had the good fortune of getting to know some folks that I had never even dreamed of knowing back in school. I can’t describe how wonderful that is.

I’m always hearing from many of you how special it was growing up in Oak Park. How much more of a childhood we had than those from other communities. I never put much stock in that concept in all the years I was away. Coming back here, and especially moving back down into the Detroit area, I finally understand what you all meant. Oak Park was a great place to grow up, even if it took some of us more than 30 years to finally realize it.