Finally, I understand Facebook. It’s just like passing notes in high school and I was great at that. I was also good at getting a laugh and stirring up trouble, but that’s a different story. 

Although I’m only 39, it appears that my 40^th high school reunion is coming up next year. Luckily by then I’ll be 40. I’m a North Dallas girl from a graduating class of 721. Because I can’t remember where I left my cell phone (even though it’s in my hand while I’m talking on it), you’d think I wouldn’t remember anyone from a school that large except the string of broken hearts I left behind. 

Unfortunately, I left something else behind. I was Senior Class Editor of the yearbook. It was a tradition for each senior classmate in our annual to have a quote below his or her picture. It was a big deal to have a great quote under your name. The last thing anybody wanted was something along the lines of, “Much wisdom often accompanies few words.” 

Because I grew up with most of these kids, when it came to doing quotes, it didn’t seem a daunting task. I armed myself with a book of “1,000 Quotes for Any Occasion”. It was neatly divided into sections like Character, Eloquence, and Celibacy. 

Quotes for my circle of friends were a breeze as were the ones for all those cute football players who were heading to the same college as me. I ran through another 400 or so because, with a name like Mikie, most everyone remembered my unique name. Hence, I knew lots of people. 

It got pretty gruesome with the last 200 or so classmates. Because I didn’t know any of them, I was forced to use bottom-of-the-bucket quotes like, “Quiet, yet forceful.” 

For the few poor souls I never did like, I sought revenge with sarcastic quotes. It has always been my fear that I may have scarred them forever, but then again, that one girl should have never stole my boyfriend like that. 

So when my 10 year reunion came around, I was a bit nervous about seeing some of those people that I might not have been so “quote friendly” to. I came armed with a 9 projector multi-media show of our high school years that brought down the house. My momma didn’t raise no fool. 

At the 20 year reunion, I showed up with nothing in hand and spent half the evening hiding behind the longhorn ice sculpture avoiding eye contact with one classmate whose quote was of the revenge type. 

We didn’t have a 30 year reunion. I assume it was because everyone was too busy getting divorced. 

About a month ago, I got a Facebook notice starting a Class of ‘72 group where we could gather “Internet style” and get to know each other again. A “saint” has organized this for us and it has been fun to catch up with people I haven’t seen in years. Photos no longer help to jog the memory I no longer have because, frankly, none of us look the same. 

I’m in the thick of it, sending out funny messages like, “Admit it. How many of you women use Botox?” What I’m really hoping is that I can keep ‘em laughing so they’ll forget about those dumb high school quotes. As the old quote goes, “He who laughs last, laughs best.” Of course there’s also that other one, “There’s no fool like an old fool.”

Craig Giesecke and me in 8th grade…young love

Spreading laughter throughout the world…one chuckle at a time. Pray for DDM.

Mikie Baker
www.mikiebaker.com