By David Lindeman

Contributing columnist

Fifty years ago, when I graduated from high school, either my father or my mother – actually, probably both – told me that time goes too fast. Since I was 18 years old, I didn’t pay much attention.

That seems like yesterday.

Last week, members of the Troy High School Class of 1974 gathered for our 50th reunion. By far the biggest question was, “What happened?” How did we get here in such a hurry?

Let me go back a bit. Back in 1974, we had a senior dinner at the high school. This is where all the seniors got together in the high school cafeteria for a last dinner before leaving school and seeking fame and fortune out in the world. We thought being a senior was a pretty cool thing.

Well, we’re really seniors now, and you know what? It can still be a cool thing.

Sure, the football players can’t run as fast and the basketball players can’t jump as high and the gymnasts can’t do as many back handsprings. The golfers are the only ones who are still out there with their old sport.

Plus, some of us barely have any original parts. One of my friends has had five joint replacements. Another has had seven back surgeries. We used to sprain an ankle or break an arm and be able to shake it off and be back to normal in no time. Now we hurt ourselves getting out of bed and it takes months to recover.

Sadder still, every year the number of classmates who are no longer with us grows. Since our last reunion five years ago, 16 more of us have gone on to better things. Some of them were close friends; some of them I probably only spoke to a few times. But I knew them all, and each one had some kind of effect on my life.

I had a friend once who said that when someone dies, it’s like losing a book. They have experiences and wisdom that are unique and when they’re gone, those experiences go with them. Over the years, we’ve lost a library.

But we’ve also gained some things. There are some good things about getting older … well, give me some time here … yes, here’s one. No one bothers trying to impress anyone else anymore. We all know each other too well for that. We can just be who we are and that’s good enough. Things that used to annoy me now seem kind of endearing. I figure if my old friends can put up with me, certainly I can put up with them.

Here’s another positive. After 50 years, you appreciate the roles your classmates played in your life. Some might have been minor roles, some might have been major roles, but everyone contributed something. When you’re 18 years old, you’re so focused on yourself that you miss that entirely. I don’t take it for granted anymore.

Yes, it’s true, we’re much older and slower now than we were that night at Hobart Arena in 1974. But, at least for one night, we were back together and a little bit of that old spring was back in our step. That bond you had with your best friends and teammates comes right back like it really was yesterday. Seeing the people you went through school with from the first grade sparks a special kind of appreciation. Telling the old stories and sharing the new ones takes some of the sting out of being a “senior.”

Of course, buy 10:30 we were all exhausted and ready to head home. Back in 1974, sometimes we were just getting started at 10:30. But that’s OK. As I heard more than once the other night, “It’s all good.” And it really is.

So to all my friends who are still here, thanks. You might not realize it, but you make up quite a few chapters in my book of life. Here’s hoping we have a few more chapters to write together.

David Lindeman is a Troy resident and former editor at the Troy Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected].