Today I got an RSVP reminder in my inbox. It was for… wait for it… my 20 YEAR high school reunion. Gah. Go ahead, take a minute to digest that. 20 goddamn years?? I mean how old am I? You are never old enough to have been out of high school for 20 years, right? 20 years is like a full grown adult. 20 years is a bad prison sentence. 20 years is 2 decades. Multiple wars and even a little peace can take place in 20 years. 20 years feels like an eternity.

All of my friends who I went to high school with seem to be having the same reaction. It’s like having the wind knocked out of you and you can’t breath and you realize in that instant that you are human and you are going to die. Seeing ’20 Year Reunion’ feels like that. I’ve been jolted into my mortality on multiple occasions… some bad, some good, and while this is a jolt, it feels like a slow motion jolt, like a Paul Simon song, like nostalgia, like road trips, like sunburns and too many cigarettes. This body, this temple, it’s only our vessel for some time. Who knows for how long that time is? We often forget that this is all temporary… until we remember being 17 and realize how far away that is.

20 year reunions make you reflect on who you were then, who you are now, and whether you’ve followed your dreams. Who did you become? Where did you go? What battles did you overcome, what struggles continue? For some it’s overwhelming. For some it’s an ego trip. For some it’s just a fun time. For all it’s some form of a mirror. I mean shit, we’ve all gotten older. There is no preventing that. If we are having our 20 year reunion it means we are almost 40. When I was young I watched the show ’30 Something’ and thought the people on the show were sooooo old. And now I’ve almost surpassed them! How did it happen? Where did it go?

Some friends are anxious about the reunion, but the fact is – we are all struggling and we are all thriving, maybe at different times, but no one escapes being human. People have died, people have gotten married, people have gotten divorced, people have had children, people have lost children, people have found their dream careers, people have not been able to find work, people have traveled the world, people have stayed in our home town, people have grown to be better, people have grown to be worse, people have found what they are looking for, people are still seeking.

So why should anyone care? Why should a reunion cause any anxiety? We have this idea that we have to be the best or better than anyone could have imagined. It’s as if people think this might be their chance to clean the slate, to wipe away any poor memory people might have of them. Like a do-over. But why? What is there to prove? And to whom? Or are we really trying to prove something to ourselves?

What if we just showed up happy with who we are? What if we showed up as our full self with the scars and the victories? What if we did this every time life threw us that jolt and showed us how mortal we really are? If we could overcome the distracting insecurities that make the thought of getting old and dying so horribly scary, we might be able to shine brighter than we ever imagined. The truth is, death is right there. In any instant. As we get older we can either make peace with that fact, or keep running from it.

And let’s be honest, who the hell wants to be in high school again? I’d rather stick a fork in my eye, but instead I’ll grab some chopsticks and eat this. You should too because hey, life’s short and this is delish.

Vietnamese Pork Meatballs with Fresh Asian Noodle Salad (adapted from iamafoodblog):

For the Lemongrass Pork Meatballs:

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound ground organic pork
• 1/2 gluten free breadcrumbs
• 1 Egg
• 2 Tbs finely minced lemongrass
• 3-4 Cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 onion, finely diced
• 1/2 Tbs fish sauce
• 1 Scant Tbs sugar
• 1/4 Cup sliced green onions
• 2 Tbs gluten free soy sauce
• Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Gently mix together all of your ingredients and shape into 1 inch meatballs.

3. Space out on a parchment lines baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

4. Turn the heat up to broil and broil for 5 minutes for some added color.

5. Remove from oven and add to your noodle bowl.

For the Fish Sauce Dressing:

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic diced
• 1 Thai chili or Spanish chili sliced
• 2 – 2 1/2 Tbs sugar
• Juice of 1/2 Lime
• Generous 3/4 Cups water
• 2 Tbs fish sauce

Directions:

1. In a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic, chili, and sugar until a paste forms.

2. Add the garlic/chili mixture to the water.

3. Add the lime mix and then add the fish sauce.

4. Place the sauce in the fridge for a few hours or overnight for the flavors to intensify.

For the Noodle Bowl:

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups cooked glass noodles
• 1 cup shaved carrot
• 1 Small cucumber sliced
• Cliantro
• Mint
• Sweet Thai basil

Directions:

1. Make your fish sauce dressing in the morning and put in the fridge to marinate.

2. Bake your meatballs.

3. Prep your veggies for the noodle bowl and cook the glass noodles while the meatballs are cooking. Rinse the noodles with cold water.

3. Assemble your bowls with all your ingredients and pour a few tablespoons of dressing on top. Mix and enjoy!

P.S. It’s day 4, or day 34 of our 30 Days of Yoga!! You are doing such great work! I am so excited about how many of you have joined us. Feel the strength from our collective energy. Love.