How to Survive (and Maybe Even Enjoy) Big Wednesday
Big Wednesday. Thanksgiving Eve. The day before the turkey day (but hopefully the day after you travel if you’re lucky) or whichever name the day before thanksgiving your town has decided to call it. Like a siren call, Big Wednesday is where you descend upon your hometown bar to celebrate being home for the holidays and see people you haven’t seen in years. Usually, a great time to practice your smile and your cheeriest “I’m doing well, how are you?”
Things have changed since the last time I’ve been home. My mom frequently texts me about the drama that happens in the center of town — which restaurants are still open, which have become names whispered by those walking past the abandoned storefront. “Remember x/y/z singular name? They always charged too much/were friendly/weren’t going to last long.”
But it’s not just about the place itself that’s changed, is it? It’s about people you used to spend every single day with, ask test scores, have crushes on. The ones that went off to college, lived different lives, broke different hearts. The ones that you run into on big Wednesday, after seconds, months, years, have passed. I can’t tell you why the thought of seeing people I know makes me nervous. I’m already thinking about what I’m going to say — making up conversations in my head to make pretend I am more interesting than I am. It reminds me of long walks down my college campus, either trying to make or avoid eye contact with people that I knew. There has to be something about the feeling of being home, being reminded of high school and the person I used to be, the dreams I used to have, the awful posters in my room I used to fall asleep under (looking at you Green Day poster circa 2006).
How do you survive (or enjoy) Big Wednesday?
There are a few options here, and this is where the night becomes a choose your own adventure. The first option is to not go. That’s a simple one. If Big Wednesday is not your scene, and you’d rather stay home and connect with your friends that is a good option as well. Sometimes that bar gets too packed and with little time being home, it's good to make time for those who matter most.
The second option is to go and try to make the most of it. Personally, I have a great time at Big Wednesday. Being back with those I haven’t seen in a few years, catching up and learning about all the interesting. All of that coupled with the nervousness of running into an ex, with the rush of being surrounded by friends, makes for an interesting night. I have always found that the best way to make the most of the night, is to have a solid group of friends. Ones that will know to bust down the exit door the second you flash your best it’s time for us to go look. But they’re also the friends that might bring you away from the corners of the bar to say hi to those from the theatre department or the sports teams you were on.
Home for (all) the holidays
This Thanksgiving, the holiday aligned with my 5-year high school reunion. The thought of going to that, coupled with a recent reading of Sally Rooney’s Normal People has me thinking about what I was like in high school, the person I left behind on the bleachers on graduation day. But, this isn’t a piece in how to survive a high school reunion (although, I might need to write that one as well after I have accurately “survived” (and maybe even“ ”thrived”)). That’s for another day — until then, I look forward to being home, and after a successful Big Wednesday, falling asleep in my twin bed, under the watchful eye of my The Breakfast Club poster.
And now, this:
What i’m listening to:
watermelon sugar — harry styles
love you for a long time — maggie rogers
hallelujah — haim
On (or around) this day in history:
November, 20, 2011 — sophomore year of high school
I’m trying to figure out who I am as a person. I really don’t know it’s hard to explain. By just reading these diary entries I’ve seen how I’ve grown as a person over the span of almost one year.