Coming to Grips with Graduation
Reality has recently set in: it's less than a week till I graduate high school. I'm not one to make a huge ordeal about things of this sort, but it is simply surreal to me.
Sure, I'm proud of myself and everyone else for graduating, but it's more the fact that this phase of my life is coming to a close. This means leaving some of the greatest people I've ever known between my family and friends.
That's alright though. I could not be more ecstatic to meet new people and gain new perspectives, much less exercise an entirely new level of freedom and independence.
It's absurd that the school year flew by in the blink of an eye. Nothing can prepare you for that. I'm positive summer will be the same, over before it even begins.
Throughout this whole experience, I think it's crucial to choose your perspective wisely. Graduation is a celebration of accomplishment, not a going-away party. There's time to be sad, to feel that raw emotion as everybody should, but graduation is not that.
It's mixed feelings. Trying to figure out how to feel, what it's okay to feel. That's the beauty of it, I suppose. Life right now is a conglomeration of different feelings, each contrasting the other.
I cannot really express all my emotions right now, and this is not to be sappy, but it's the truth. This is just me being honest. In writing this, I hope others can relate and maybe find some comfort in the fact that it's okay to be confused and feel every which way.
Don't get me wrong: I'm so ready for College Station in the fall. I love my family deeply and I'll be forever grateful for them, but it's a new experience. I'm constantly searching for new experiences and ways to get out of my comfort zone, and this provides that.
With graduation this Sunday, I have some things I've been keeping in mind that have helped me and guided me through this year and right now. I'll share them in hopes that somebody finds them useful.
These are certainly not original ideas, but important to my philosophy nonetheless.
I cannot emphasize this enough: first and foremost, keep your two feet under you. Be present. Stay grounded. However you choose to word this, work to achieve it. It's easy to get wrapped up in your own head or look forward to the future, but this is a time we'll never get back.
You only get Senior Year once, you only get Prom once, you only get Graduation once. It's important to realize the magnitude of the occasion and bask in it. Enjoy it.
On the contrary from taking in moments with others, prioritize some time to yourself. It's revitalizing if you allow it to be. After Graduation, I am well aware I'll be trying to find my way in a new place with new people; being comfortable alone will only help me get situated.
This leads me to a topic I'm sure everyone has been having a hard time coping with, and that is leaving behind friends and family. Whether you're staying home or going away, everyone is about to disperse. I think it's going to take a legitimate amount of effort to maintain friendships; that's okay though.
While it will be hard, it will be worthwhile. If you truly care to keep up with current friends in the future, you will put in the necessary effort.
Another thought that comforts me in the face of separation is that people are meant to come and go. In my opinion, some people are only meant to be in a certain phase of your life. They may teach you a lesson or simply make memories with you, and then you both move on. That's life.
If it's meant to be, it will be. Simple as that.
Senior year has been filled with memories that will last a lifetime. I got to know some outstanding people and work on goals of mine that I put off for the longest time.
I guess I'll leave it at this: don't wait to enjoy life. Enjoy it for what it is right now rather than looking to the future. We'll never actually live in the future, so quit romanticizing it so much. Quit worrying about who's leaving and what's happening tomorrow; enjoy today.
Happy Graduation everyone!