It’s almost two weeks from now that that milestone weekend will be here.

I think for my classmates, it may not be as big of a deal as it kind of feels to me, although when you look at it in terms of time and of numbers, it stands out.

When you’ve been up close to it for the last half a year, though, it makes you think.

It was at the beginning of summer in 1986 that I and some 645 of my classmates sat on the floor of the Pit and waited for the talks to be given, for the walk across the stage commence, for the receiving of the paper, and for the throwing of square topped hats. I don’t think we were supposed to throw them, but we did. That’s what you do at graduation.

That was us, the Eldorado High Class of 1986. And that was us, 30 years ago.

Kenny Chesney recently had some success with his song, “Don’t Blink”, reminding us that if you close your eyes too much, you will miss experiencing your life. It goes much too fast.

It was also one day recently at work that Payton emailed me a link to a song by young Michigan rapper NF, and when I had a moment to break and shut everything else down for a few minutes, NF’s lyrics slowly grabbed me and then punched me in the gut.

“You spend your life in a dream that you can’t escape
‘Cause you live your life in a coma- you’re never awake.
If you’d open your eyes then maybe you’d see what’s at stake
You’re sleeping… You’re sleeping…”

It’s only suitable the main chorus is a screaming litany of “WAKE UP!”, NF’s hope to break as many as he can out of living a life unconscious.

Thirty years rolls by so quickly.

The lyrics hit too close to home.

In two weeks, when old classmates assemble at the Friday night social, at the Saturday night dinner, there will be the questions, and the need for an accounting- of years, of breaths, of efforts.

I feel mostly that the gap has been a blank. A thick book with mostly empty pages.

Over the years, my mind has frequently returned to examine a quote I heard sometime in my early twenties- a quote that was offered as an encouragement and a warning.

“A young man becomes an old man when his dreams becomes regret.” Dreams inspire and energize. Regrets fester and poison and harden, those bitter signs of surrender.

It’s not time to throw n the towel yet.

In two or so weeks, the Eldorado Class of 1986 will get together. I suppose it’s a good time to ask friends and acquaintances there about their dreams, about what they are looking forward to at this significant moment in our lives.

We may be halfway through our lives, but you have to believe it’s not too late yet to wake up.

“You only get one life
And every time you lookin’ at yours
You feel like everything you have is a waste!
And the problem and the reason you could never fill a hole in your life
Is because you were never awake

“If you’d open your eyes then maybe you’d see what’s at stake…”

Wake up. Wake up.