It’s class reunion season. Some love them (me), while others dread the event.

I have never missed mine, which happen every five years. Planning is also fun knowing we’re going to bring old friends together. There are those who never come back.

The fifth and 10th are not always well attended. Adult life is just getting started. Some are still in college or the military. Others are trying to figure it out.

Let’s jump to the 20th. This one is usually well attended. There is less worry about appearances and vanities, with more curiosity of how everyone is doing career- and relationship-wise. Most are up and coming with their work and/or starting families.

By the 30th, less spouses attend due to divorce, while others do not feel the need to have that “wing person” for confidence. I never married until 37, and was raised an only child, so I never experienced anxiety about going alone.

At the 40th classmates start more reminiscing, less drinking, and begin sharing those wedding and grandchildren photos. There is chatter about retirement plans, and remembering deceased friends.

All of a sudden, or so it seems, the 50th year arrives. Many are retired, several are still working.

More have passed. The fact that most of the parents are gone spurs shared memories with heartfelt and humorous stories.

Last year was my golden reunion. We all kept asking the question, “How did we get here so fast?”

As kids we were told that once we graduated from high school and college, life would sail by quickly. We scoffed. However, it is fact!

My dad’s advice when I was a teen: “Enjoy being a kid as long as you can, for when you become an adult, you are an adult forever with adult responsibilities.”

Good advice from a wise man. My advice is enjoy your reunions and treasure the moments.

As for my own mental attitude, “I’m growing older but not up. My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck.” — Jimmy Buffett

Dianne Bonecutter Garrett is a Wilmington native and a former print and broadcast journalist.