Categories: uncategorized
Date: 26 December 2007 11:56:20
So, on Christmas Eve we rolled the years back, as I went round to my friends' house (well, I suppose these days I should say their parents' house, as my friends now live with their respective husbands in Oxford and Manchester) and we had a bit of a reunion of our old youth group from 10-15 years ago. There are nine of us who I tend to consider as The Old Skool Youth from back in the day, and having five of us back round a table reminiscing and catching up was great; we tend to end up doing it about once every two or three years, and while technology in general, and facebook in particular, has made it easier to keep in touch, it really is no substitute for actually being in the same room laughing and joking together.
Having grown up together over on the east side of England, we're a bit more spread out these days; there are three still in that sort of area, but five of us are now in various points down the western side of England stretching from Manchester to Exeter, and one in America. We're talking about trying to organise a get-together sometime soon in a convenient location to all of us, but how and when is likely to take some organising, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if we don't see each other again until... well, the next wedding I guess.
Ah yes, the weddings. For years there was a bit of a joke that I would be the last one to get married (a joke that wasn't always as funny for me as it was for the people who made it), and now it looks like being reality. Of the nine of us, #1 married her longtime sweetheart back in 2000; #2 got hitched in 2002; #3 followed about a year later; #4 got married in 2004 to the guy she'd been going out with since their schooldays; #5 and #6 (who we frankly always knew were going to get married, but expected would do it sooner) got hitched late in 2004, with yours truly as best man; #7 and her fella walked up the aisle in May this year; #8 is now engaged to a bloke who everybody has nothing but nice things to say about... and then there's #9 here. The weird thing is, it doesn't actually bother me that I'm not married... it's just a bit bizarre being the only one who isn't. And given that I was one of only two lads in our little group, I can't get my head around the idea that all the girls I grew up with don't have the same surname they had when we were at school, and are intending to have their new surnames for the rest of their lives.
Maybe it's not just the marriage stuff itself that's weird to me though, perhaps it's the other stuff that goes with it. Much of the conversation veered towards house stuff - how much people's houses cost, who they get their cable/internet package from, sizes of HD TVs etc. None of which is really relevant at the end of the day, but when everyone else is all set up in their own little home with all the creature comforts and space they want, it feels a bit strange to say, "yeah, well I'm renting a house with three mates and we've got a second-hand telly which isn't HD ready because no one was ready for HD when the telly was made 15 years ago". It just feels like my life is in a different place to theirs in so many ways; and while normally I'm fine with that, it's just the feeling of being the odd one out when we all get together that leaves me feeling a bit... well, that's the thing - I don't really know how it makes me feel. I'm not down and depressed by it. I'm just kind of confused.
Ultimately though, these are people who I love, who have been true friends to me when I've needed them and who I've tried to do the same for; who've seen me grow and develop, and who've had a huge influence on who I am now. God really blessed me by putting them in my life. If, in ten years time, they're all happy parents and I'm still single and renting a house with crappy old furniture and the like, I'd still want to spend time with them because they're an important part of who I am. (sure, I'm hoping that won't be my situation in ten years - I'd like to at least have a decent sofa... :p )