Last week I wrote a column about attending a 10-year reunion for my high school volleyball team’s state championship win.In the column, I said I couldn’t remember much about the tournament or the win. This made me nervous as time ticked closer to the reunion … so much that by Friday afternoon I thought I might be going crazy.I guess I didn’t like that I didn’t have any of these memories. If winning was so monumental that I needed to go back to my old high school gym for the first time in 10 years to be recognized – why didn’t I remember?On Friday, the plan was to leave for Madison, S.D., (home of my high school) moments after my husband arrived home from work. David arrived home about 20 minutes late because he had helped a co-worker change a tire.At this point I must remind anyone still reading that I was emotionally not myself because I was nervous, worried and not happy about having to do this.Leaving Hills late intensified that situation. My mother and father had invited us for cocktails and cheese before I needed to be at the gym to speak with the current volleyball team.My mother thought cheese and finger foods would calm me down and give me a chance to reminisce with my father – an avid fan of my sports years.However, as we drove north, I was behaving horribly. I was upset that we were going to miss the celebration my mother had planned and I was still unsure about what to say to the volleyball players.It is a testament to David’s patience that he didn’t leave me on the side of the road, standing next to naked cornfields. Fast forward an hour, and we are at my parents’ house with about 20 minutes to mingle and munch – thanks to David’s excellent driving skills.As my father starts to fill me in on the details of the championship season, I realize that nothing he is saying can be of any use to current volleyball players – but the cheese is delicious and the laughter calmed me down.When I enter the gym, I spot Kari Stratton, a dear friend of mine and teammate of any sport I played since sixth grade.We were best friends forever throughout much of my time in Madison, but her extreme desire to play collegiate and professional sports took time away from our friendship as high school came to a close. This encounter would be our third in 10 years.She is a great athlete. She was our class president and went on to play basketball at the University of Wyoming and Augustana.Of course, she remembered EVERYTHING about our tournament bid, including the names of girls on the teams we had played. The names, scores and injuries didn’t bring back much of my memory, but when she started telling me about the nights back at the Holiday Inn and who our roommates were, I had my eureka moment.Suddenly I was able to differentiate between this volleyball tournament and the many basketball tournaments.I had been focusing on trying to recall the games we had played when I should have been trying to remember the good times had.I have always been a believer of doing things for enjoyment. If it is not fun then it probably isn’t worth doing.Don’t misunderstand, I like to work hard and be challenged, but I need that work to be fun.If I can’t smile through a task, I would rather not do it.I have always been this way. I was a happy child and strive to be a happy adult.I think this attitude prevented me from becoming overly invested in the competition of athletics in high school. It was more about participating in a social experience.Going to state, whether for volleyball, basketball or softball meant I got to spend quality time with my girls, social time with my coaches and I was able to make new friends while there. I don’t think I wasted much of my energy on strategy or being upset about a loss. For me, that just wasn’t the point.Between recalling outstanding plays and talking about a pending induction to the Madison Hall of Fame, Kari was talking to me about our 10-year class reunion. She is in charge of the planning and apparently is going to be as dedicated to it as she always was to sports.I, for one, kept looking at my husband and parents, vowing not to become too fanatical as the reunion approached. After all, I have plenty of great memories to share with my classmates and I think I can remember the names of all 89 who graduated with me.Overall, I was glad I attended the event; my coach was so overjoyed to review the season we had played and remember the progress we had made. She was just as happy to hear where we had ended up in our lives.Story ideas or comments can be emailed to Lexi Moore at lexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.