3 Reflections from a Recent Reunion

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Dear Younger Me,

I recently returned from a college reunion. I was more deeply moved than I was originally anticipating.

There is something special that occurs when you combine a place you love with a people you cherish. 

That it was happened during this past reunion. I want to share what I learned. There were too many memories to document, too many people that made it so good, so I’ve boiled it all down to three things.

Three reflections from my weekend back at my alma matter. 

Experiences are made to be experienced with others

I’m going to get philosophical here. Let’s throw it back to the beginning of time. In the Bible, after God creates the universe and puts all the animals on Earth, he createsdAdam. A point no one really talks about here is that Adam/humans have never existed on Earth alone.

Adam lived and tended to living breathing animals all the way up until God created Eve. Humans have been together ever since.

Key takeaway: humans have always existed with others.

Fast-forward to modern day and we are in a loneliness crisis. The rise of social media, as well as new emerging technology like AI and the Apple Vision Pro have further contributed to creating “realities” that foster an even lonelier world.

Steven Bartlett, in his most recent vlog, discusses this issue in a really succinct way. I recommend checking it out below (fast forward to 18:35 for the explanation):

“All I was thinking was I want you to see what I can see…that is what experience is all about.”

Spot on. In the loneliness epidemic, sharing experiences with others has never been more vital.

Even small experiences, like sitting for breakfast, or going for a walk, or sharing a drink, are dramatically enhanced in the company of others.

Having those shared experiences with so many friends this weekend was a reminder of why this lesson is so important.

Investing in people is always worth it

People are complicated. Relationships with people even more. A universal truth that became more obvious than ever this weekend is that people may come and go, but the ones that you invest in always end up being the most worth it.

Story time.

I was a member of a fraternity during my time in college. It was a newer house that had just been reestablished a few years earlier and the group was still building out traditions.

One thing I wanted to implement were “family lines.” A classic Greek tradition of an older brother picking a “little” that was a member of the newest pledge class. The next year, the “little” would pick a new member and the process would go on year after year. This creates a “family line” as the name suggests.

I proposed this idea soon after I became a new member. I drafted a whole proposal, presented it in front of the entire fraternity, and was ready to make an early impact on the group…

Until voting came around and it was swiftly rejected.

I was dejected, but figured it wasn’t meant to be.

Fast forward to my senior year and a younger brother submits a proposal to try to establish family lines again.

To my surprise (and excitement) it passed this time around.

The only problem was I was soon to be a second semester senior and have four months until graduation. Not a ton of time to really pour into my new family line.

Despite the short time, myself and my “little” were intentional about trying to plan events, get dinners, and invest our time and energy into this family line while I was still on campus. We had no idea if it would have any impact, but we figured we would try.

Fast forward a year later, and the picture above is that very family line that had only been established a year earlier. Better yet, that picture was taken mere hours after we had gotten together and stayed up talking and catching up until the wee hours of the night. The laughs, smiles, and joy that came from that night was indescribable. It was like no time had passed at all even though it had been an entire year.

That is what happens when you invest into people.

When you invest into relationship.

It was glorious reminder that investing into people is always worth it.

Cherish the little moments

The most important reminder for last.

The whole reason why I had returned to my alma matter in the first place was to get with some of my closest friends from school (we all lived in a house together our junior year) to “send off” one of the guys who was moving down to Texas.

Seven guys in five different cities sacrificed a weekend to see each other.

It was really special. A meal was shared, drinks were drank, and laughs were had. It was a night none of us will soon forget.

But the biggest lesson. The biggest reflection. The biggest joy that came from the time spent with the six other guys wasn’t any particular “iconic memory.”

It was the little moments.

The little moments when one guy after another would arrive at the restaurant to a burst of joyful greetings and hugs.

The little moments reminiscing, catching up, and dreaming about the future.

It reminded me to cherish the little moments.

To be more aware of the smiles.

To zoom and recognize the goodness of the little moments.

They are truly the sweetest.

It was quite a weekend. One I will not soon forget. I hope one day soon you will have an experience with the people and places that you love.

All the best,

Older You