Hello, everyone. How are you? I hope you are enjoying this great weather. Nice to see the sun, isn’t it?

I went to my 40^th high school reunion last month. Actually, I was on the planning committee for the event, although our class treasurer, Stan Rappaport did the lion’s share of the work. I went to Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, Maryland; the Springbrook Blue Devils. We had our reunion at Argyle Country Club. The next morning I went to breakfast and spent some time with some classmates that I really didn’t know very well in high school. I hadn’t seen some of my classmates in, well, 40 years!

I had forgotten how many pretty girls were in my class. I saw my elementary school “girlfriend”. I talked to her more that night than the entire time I went to school with her. I saw my eighth grade “girlfriend” and met her husband. She looked fantastic. I really think a lot of girls in high school were in love with me but they just didn’t know it! And, yes, of course, Lynne was with me at the reunion.

Things like high school reunions, or the passing of an icon from your generation like Steve Jobs get you thinking of the good old days. You never want to have regrets, but there are so many things you can learn from your past. These are some of the things I learned from my reunion.

1. I wish I had gotten to know more people in my class. There were 600 people in my class and I knew very few of them. Most are very nice people who have gone on to very successful careers. I wish I had made the effort to know more of them when we went to school together.
2. I wish I had applied myself more, in my sports and in the classroom. I especially wish I hadn’t cheated so much in my mother’s Spanish class. I would certainly know more than “albondigas, no te dije” which means “meatballs, didn’t I tell you” if I hadn’t.
3. I wish I had planned better. I missed so much in high school because I wasted so much time and never really thought ahead. And, before I knew it, it was gone.
4. I wish I had tried more things; theater, chorus, art class, talent show (although I am not sure what talent I would have exhibited). There were so many activities available at Springbrook that I never even knew about. Of course, if I had planned better, I would have had more time for them.
5. The older we get, the better we were. It is amazing how many of us were stars in high school when you talk to us now. And the funny thing is, except for a few of us (Damon Bernstein and Bill Harmon), nobody really remembered the real facts, or cared, for that matter.
6. I wish I hadn’t sweated so many little things in high school because, as I said in #5, no one (except Damon and Billy) remembers now or cared then. But, boy did some of those things seem so important at the time, especially the athletics. Looking back, the most important things are always the great memories and fun times.

Basically I wish I had enjoyed the journey more; laughed more, appreciated things more. Smelled the roses, so to speak, like my good friend Craig Goodman wrote in my yearbook.

The good thing is it isn’t too late to do all these things. I can make more of an effort to get to know all the interesting people I come into contact with every day. I can apply myself better in everything I do. I can plan my time better. I can try more things and different types of activities, like even learning Spanish! I can keep things in better perspective and realize that, 40 years from now, most of the things I worry about now won’t matter anyway; except, of course, the great memories and fun times with friends and family!

One final thought. I bet Steve Jobs didn’t have to have any of these regrets. He packed 10 lifetimes into his 56 years. We should all be able to say the same.

Thought for the Day:

“Let’s go put a dent in the universe”

Steve Jobs 1955-2011