Months ago, an old friend messaged me to ask whether I'd come back for my 15 year college reunion. I'd said, "Sure," rallied a few friends to join me and didn't think about it until Duke unleashed a relentless electronic barrage of donation solicitations. Even as a fundraiser, I was horrified by the frequency and tone of their messages. For the record, I haven't given to Duke since 2010.
However, in the last week, a bunch of my Duke classmates popped up in a reunion-specific Facebook group, some friends local in the Triangle reached out, and all of a sudden I was driving 400 miles south without barbecue as my primary goal.
Last night, Duke threw great parties, including turning Cameron Indoor Stadium into an '80s disco, at which I reconnected with a number of old friends, with conversations ranging from Tex-Mex, childhood anxiety, student government elections, social media sobriety, Easter plans, and I even witnessed a few quick hugs between college flames.
As recently as Tuesday, I was more excited for a root canal than my college reunion but, because I went, I got to enjoy all of these friends while everyone else is at home checking Facebook with FOMO.
Sometimes, once in a while, just show up. You never know who you'll see again.