Reconnecting

Yesterday J and I attended a wedding where a friend of mine I’ve known since high school tied the knot (literally!) with a woman he’s been with for years. 

When I said they tied the knot, I mean part of the ceremony had a “handfasting” ritual where decorative ropes made of leather and cloth were layered on their hands as the priest talked about what these ties symbolized. I had never seen a “handfasting” ceremony, but when they say the couple “tied the knot,” I’m pretty sure they had this  in mind — and after looking on the Wiki on “handfasting,” my hunch is confirmed by the folks who contributed to the Wiki entry.

Because I went to high school with the groom, there were a few people from my high school days there — most of whom I haven’t seen since 1983 or so.  One guy in particular had one of those personality transformations that you often hear about, but rarely experience.  What I mean is that he was a kind of shy and quiet guy in high school, and now he’s a very verbal, often funny, and kind of manic.  He has a Richard Dreyfuss quality that made for entertaining moments during the reception.

It made me think of some of the personality transformations we go through during our life course. Some people don’t change all that much, but others go through subtle to large-scale changes brought about by a variety of factors. Me?  In my teens and 20s, I was pretty carefree and goofy most of the time.  But now that I’m in my 40s, I’m a bit more reserved, my sense of humor is dry to cynical, and I worry about “stuff.”  I know it’s just adulthood and being a husband/father/worker bee, but it’s an odd feeling when a person you haven’t seen in over 20 years reminds you of the person you used to be.

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