We’re All In This Together

Twenty years ago, these words took up permanent residence in my head. They moved in, unpacked, and never left.

We’re all in this together

Once we know

That we are

We’re all stars…

You know the rest. Of course you do. Because once Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez locked eyes at a ski resort on New Year’s Eve, none of us were ever quite the same again.

It was a modern-day Grease—two teenagers from opposite ends of the high school social spectrum, finding each other despite sports jerseys and brainiac reputations. Only this time, it came with Disney polish, catchy choreography, and songs that burrowed into your soul and refused to be evicted.

High School Musical premiered on January 20, 2006, and just like that, it became part of our family fabric. We didn’t just watch it—we lived it. We bought everything. Blankets. Sweatshirts. Bedding. Somewhere deep in the basement (next to the holiday decorations and the forgotten treadmill) lives the Barbie-condo-style East High, complete with every doll and character from every possible scene. Proof that at one point in time, this movie ruled our world.

There were trips to Disney, of course. And yes, I once found myself in the middle of a flash mob at Hollywood Studios, dancing to We’re All In This Together with confidence that can only come from secretly learning the choreography on YouTube. I surprised the kids after a very fun lunch, arms flailing, heart full. I also quietly began setting money aside in case they ever needed behavioral therapy to process that memory. Parenting is about balance.

So here’s a heartfelt shoutout to Disney—for creating a world that wasn’t just for kids, but for us. The Disney Channel. The stars. The concerts. The magic. It gave us permission to dance in our living rooms, sing in our cars, and connect with our children in a way that felt joyful and effortless. Those moments mattered. They still do.

Today, while I was at work, the family group text exploded.

Madre! It’s today! HSM 20th Anniversary!

And suddenly, twenty years disappeared. I could see the blankets, hear the music, feel the energy of a time when togetherness looked like sitting side by side on the couch, singing at the top of our lungs, believing—if only for a moment—that dreams really do come true when we stand hand in hand.

Because some songs don’t just mark an era.

They mark a family.

And no matter how much time passes, we really are still all in this together.

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Author: KikiFikar

Kiki Fikar is a native New Yorker who is passionate about taking the day to day life we all experience and sharing it in her tales from Suburbia. She will often be found at the gym, writing snippets each day for future story lines, listening to her two children create their lives, and building the perfect beachfront home and writing retreat in her mind.

23 thoughts on “We’re All In This Together”

  13. This was seriously like a time capsule … it was actually like a whole chapter of life✨
    It’s wild how twenty years can vanish the second that opening synth hits. Happy 20th Anniversary to HSM and the crew and obviously US… who lived it not watched it 🥰 once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat!

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  20. Oh no! “We’re all in this together” 🎶 was finally almost out of my brain… like the three pianos in “A Day in the Life” fading into nothingness… and now it’s all back 😂 I lost track of how many times that ol’ VHS got played, including road trips with a jury-rigged portable player. We might get more snow this weekend… maybe I’ll make some major Dad points and suggest yet another watch with popcorn 🍿😎

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