When I was in my late 20s or early 30s , I remember returning to the very small town in north Florida to see my parents, and running into old buddies. These were guys with whom I had fished, hunted, played sports with, and with whom I snuck off in the woods to smoke with. I was genuinely glad to see them again.
In most cases, the reaction I got was unexpected. Their verbal and nonverbal behavior kept me at a distance. It seemed that they were saying indirectly, "Look, you are an insider turned outsider and y u know us too well, warts and all. I'm not sure I can trust you anymore. "
Did anyone else ever encounter such a circumstance?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.My experiences would have been with HS reunions.. Twas great, the antithesis of my HS experience. Had our drunk Valedictorian lamenting his life mistakes ..while our Jr. Rose Festival Princess described her crush on me. Felt like the catch-all of confessions!
Went to all but my last HS reunion, now 3K away.. Same stuff you likely attempted to instill in your kids ..about how all the ‘popular kids’ are ‘peaking out,’ while your best days are ahead … and them finding as little solace in that as you’d have..
My old friends trusted me, I’d apparently proven myself. Though, back when I was in college to become a cop ..not so much 
Varn
Level 8
Mar 29, 2019
1
My high school reuniion experience was similar to yours -- very friendly, and much more positive. None of the boys I was talking about in the post attended the reunion.
No, my 10-year high school reunion in Michigan was a huge ego boost. Everyone was glad to see me, especially guys who humiliated and tormented me in junior high for being too skinny.
At 28, I was fit, single and happy, in graduate school and working as a YMCA program director in Seattle. Former buxom cheerleaders were fat, unhappy and divorced, sitting on the sidelines.
Dancing, those same guys hung all over me, moaning, "You were the prettiest girl in high school! Why didn't you ever date any of us?"
"I had an older, more mature boyfriend," I said and smiled. (Slam dunk)
Photo: Me, 28, and Terry, 32, before we were married, Ingalls Lake, WA. A long, step hike. Three weeks before flying to Michigan for my high school reunion.
LiterateHiker
Level 9
Mar 29, 2019
3
Yes, indeed.
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