What happens in Vegas

Stays in Vegas.  Maybe in someone else’s world where what happens in Vegas is SO naughty, people can’t talk about it.  Needless to say, nothing that crazy happened on my trip.  I’m just too old.  Not for Vegas but for the all night craziness and debauchery.  But I’m certainly not too old to spend the weekend with old friends and new.

Vegas was excellent.  I had a wonderful time.  I admit to being pretty nervous upon arriving.  I went to the room and putzed around for just a little longer than necessary, before heading out to the pool to meet everyone.  I was nervous about what people would think about me.  Would I look old?  Fat?  Not as remembered?  Or would I look old and fat, just what they thought of me 15 years ago?  Stupid, I know, but that’s what I was thinking.  I finally mustered the cajones to head down to the pool and I shouldn’t have been worrying at all.  People were exactly as I remembered.

I had seen what most people looked like from their pictures on Facebook, so I had a pretty good idea what people looked like.  But pictures aren’t always a good gauge.  (As anyone who’s done any online dating can tell you.)  I’m happy to report that the years have been good to everyone, but like any group of people, while looking pretty much exactly the same, there are some subtle changes.  There are lines at the eyes and around the mouths, subtle bags under the eyes, some paunch around the middle, gray hairs at the temple, and the college beer bellies are gone.  (Of course, there are also those evil bitches who’ve had 3 kids and look incredible.)  But there was ease in settling in and catching up.  There were laughs and stories and confidences exchanged and more laughter.  There was a lot of, “What happened to so and so?” and “I don’t remember that at all!”  As we spent more time with one another, the light-hearted stories turned into some more serious conversations and confidences exchanged.

Most of the group had been in touch with some people over the years but some of us hadn’t.  It made me a little sad that I’d missed so much.  I left Vegas regretting some of the choices I made in college, all those many years ago (although, in all honesty, this isn’t the first time I’ve had those regrets) and wishing I’d spent more time enjoying the college years and less time worrying about the boys and who I could potentially marry.  I wish I’d spent more time enjoying the moment.

It’s weird to me to think that over the past 15 years, I’ve been in almost every town where these people live.  I’ve been to Seattle, California, Virginia, Amsterdam (yeah, someone flew all the way from Amsterdam!!), New York and Connecticut.  I’ve been so close to them but so incredibly far.  But now is my chance to renew some of the friendships that I rekindled this weekend, erase those regrets.

We’re definitely going to try and make this a yearly event.  But in the meantime, if I’m in California or Seattle or Connecticut, I’m going to call people and look them up.  I’m not going to let another 15 years go by.  I’m not going to live a lifetime of regrets.