Formal Ceremonies
I had my brother’s college graduation last weekend. It was more of a reception for the School of Management because he didn’t want to walk in the actual ceremony.
It still took a long time for them to call my brother’s name, just to hand him a mug, a card and a pin.
The actual diploma, I’m sure, is in the mail.
They had two student speakers, and I tried to listen to their speeches with an open ear. But, I couldn’t believe much of what these 21-year-olds playing grown up were saying because, well, I did it.
I remember living in the bubble of college, with my college friends, my college boyfriend and my college life. My biggest challenges were making sure someone took minutes at meetings and deciding if I really wanted to join the cheerleading squad because, although I would be helping out a friend who was starting the team, I’d be compromising a bit of myself to cheer for the boys.
I joined the team, which only lasted two practices before everyone bailed.
After the first practice, I bumped into my college boyfriend.
“My girlfriend is a cheerleader,” he said.
“Isn’t that lame?” I asked.
“Absolutely not,” he said, smiling. If I was a guy, I think he would have smacked my butt and sent me on my way.
I was looking at kids sitting on bleachers, screaming for their friends who were graduating, and I thought, “I would never go back.”
College is great, just like one of the student speakers said. She told her fellow graduates to not think about a bigger corner office, but bask in the fact that they have a corner office. It was her way of saying savor the moment.
It started to remind me of my editor’s note from last week, and it also reminded me of how I thought college was life. But, I knew enough to know it was just a part of it, and if I stayed there to be a super senior, I’d be institutionalized like Brooks from The Shawshank Redemption.
I got out a semester early. My brother got out a year early.
I think that was an incredible idea we both had. I started to get comfortable in my life, and so I had to pluck myself out and go into the real world.
I’m at that point again, where I’m completely comfortable with my life. And now it’s time to jump to something else.
It’s like a news report I was watching this weekend about children, who weren’t even legal yet, who started companies.
The reporter said adults are afraid to start a business because they fear failing.
Kids don’t know better. They just jump into something because, if it doesn’t work out, well, there’s still high school to graduate.
So leap. If you don’t have a formal ceremony in your future to mark the beginning of an era, just start one because it’s Monday.
Until next week…
LISA SOKOLOWSKI
Editor-in-Chief
cactusiv(at)gmail.com