A reunion in the eyes of the beholders

People, like works of art, are in the eyes of the beholders.

Sometimes we see in people who we perceive them to be. Or we see in people who they truly are.

At my 40th high school reunion over the weekend -- the Class of ‘71 from Oswego Catholic High School in Oswego, N.Y., -- and here’s what we saw in each other.

Sure, there were a few extra pounds here and there, a few lines and wrinkles, and a little less hair among the men.

There was a new hip here, a couple of knee replacement there. Bad backs bothered a few. Recovering from open heart surgery was the order of the day for one.

There was talk of children in college, of grown children, of grandchildren and the empty nest.

There was talk of retirement -- of being retired or looking forward to it in the near future. There was talk of how to be retired, whether to work, whether to just sail.

Yes, the Class of 1971 is approaching the age of 60 with all that it brings -- emotionally, socially and physically.

But if you really want to get a sense of a group of Baby Boomers on the doorstep of 60, look into their eyes.

It’s there you see beyond the effects of age.

It’s there you see the classmate who sat in front of you in homeroom for four years. (It was a Catholic school, after all, so all seating was alphabetical.)

You don’t see a guy pushing 60, you see a guy who’s still 18.

You don’t see a woman with grown children, you see the girl you took to prom.

You see the third baseman for the baseball team. You see the singer with the beautiful voice in Tri-M. You see the student council president.

The eyes tell you that they’re still as vibrant and fun and interesting as they were when they were 18.

They tell you that their lives in their late 50s holds as much promise as they did when they were picking up their diplomas at graduation.

They, like works of art, are in many respects still works in progress.

True, those eyes might not have the 20/20 vision they once had, and they were certainly a little bloodshot after two nights of partying into the wee hours.

But we saw each other as clearly as ever -- still 18, still forever young.

Long may we all run.