My high school is 50 years old. We were going to have a reunion this year. Everyone from class of 1970 to class of 2020 was invited. Friends I hadn’t seen since school ended were planning to be there.
It was cancelled, along with the rest of the summer, and Spring, and Fall. I enjoyed high school. I’m not one of those who want to go back to high school. But, some of my friends from that time in my life, are still close friends.
Many of my high school friends never left the Olympia, Washington area. They stayed friends. They attended Seahawks and Mariners games. They saw each other socially. They grew up and their families grew up together.
I, moved to Utah. My kids grew up here. And until Facebook came along, I only saw my friends at reunions. (The ones in person.) But, Facebook let us all get to know each other again. Some people were still friends. Some not as much. We grow, our lives change.
Recently, I found myself lacking in Christmas spirit. The presidential election, that I normally enjoy watching was a dumpster fire. The year has been unlike anything we’ve ever seen, and not in a good way.
So, I was interested when one of my high school friends recommended a “cookie exchange.” She was looking for ten people to agree to each back 10 dozen cookies, then get together and exchange them. So, you come with 10 dozen of your own cookies and you leave with 10 dozen that were baked by your friends.
I’m in!
Rodney, you live in Utah.
I know. I’ll ship them.
Seriously?
Yes, I’m serious.
I realized quickly that I was a bit out of my element. I picked chocolate chip for two reasons.
1. I can bake chocolate chip cookies
2. I’m not sure I can bake anything else
Well, the other 8 people in the cookie exchange are all women. (A couple had to drop out.) I knew them as girls when we attended high school. And they are listing cookie types that I’ve never heard of. And they are posting pictures that look awesome.
Well, the exchange is next week. I didn’t trust my own chocolate chip cookie recipe. Mine always turn out too hard. So, I found a recipe on the internet. It uses a little corn starch and requires the dough be refrigerated overnight.
Interesting note, if you want to ship cookies, you can put the cookies in a ziplock bag and include a slice of bread. The bread will become dried out, but will keep the cookies moist.
There was just something appealing in the middle of this crazy end to a crazy year about getting together with a group of friends who were friends when I was young.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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