Endings, Beginnings, and in-betweensIn high school, I was the straight-A student, the marching-band nerd, the girl running 5 different clubs, and a girl who felt very trapped by trivial things she thought defined her life.
I wish I could go back and tell her that high school was just a small, homogenous bubble; that these things were just a drop in the bucket; that there would be better times and worse times in the years to come; but, mostly, that the whole world is out there waiting for her. _______________ Dear Megan, Louis L’Amour once said “There will come a time when you believe that everything is finished. That will be the beginning.” Today marks the day you are officially done with 12 years of school. It’s a day you’ve anticipated for a while, with varying levels of excitement—a day that stands as a bookend to many chapters but also a bookmark for memory-finding. At the moment, you’re probably preparing to sit through a 2-hour ceremony in a green gown and severely uncomfortable cap. Stop trying to make it look good with bobby pins and hairspray. It’s not going to work—just take my word on this. Now, let’s back up a bit. During your time in high school, a lot of things happened. The words "twerk" and "selfie" were added to the dictionary and you asked philosophical questions like “Is the dress blue and black or white and gold?” You made some really good friends— Friends that you will keep for years to come. You spent some weekends with a bunch of music nerds making incredible memories (and music). WebAssign parties and chemistry notes will forever make you want to laugh and cry. You had some amazing teachers you will never forget and a laundry list of extracurriculars. Things didn’t always work out, but you learned that sometimes, that’s just how life is. You also probably spent way too much on Starbucks and didn’t eat breakfast nearly enough…we’re still working on that. But if you remember anything, remember that the most important aspects of your character are often intangible. There are no medals or certificates for the most valuable things you did in the past four years. Think back to how you’ve handled tricky situations, how you’ve treated others, the passion you put into doing the things you loved. Those things should be the most important to you today and in the days to come. Those are the things that you should take with you. The less noticeable things that built your character daily. Five years from now—heck even 5 months from now—so many things you fretted over: your grades, your social status, that time you forgot how Euler’s method in front of your calculus class (yeah, that one did suck) will be trivial. So if you get one thing out of today, think about the things that really impacted you and the things you actually made an impact in. As for your regrets? Quoting form one of the best teacher’s you had: “Learn from them and move on. They’re not worth your time.” After the ceremony that was both too long and too short, you’ll walk out of the arena and be swept into a frenzy of hugging teachers and shouting goodbyes. You’ll smile for pictures and laugh about things you don’t remember. And then everything will be over. You’ll be left with a sense of peculiar longing and half-confused joy as you walk to your car —honor chords dangling and medals clinking as you ignore the painful grip of your 4-inch wedges. You’ll run into some friends and stop for one more picture—one that will later end up on your dorm room wall—and then you’ll climb into your car, carefully tear away the sash, chords, and medals from where they burrowed into your neck, and lay them in a colorfully twisted pile in the passenger seat. As you drive away, you realize that this is it. You might be unsure how to feel and that’s okay. Let me tell you—It’s only the beginning.
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About MeThanks for visiting my blog! My name is Megan, I work in Marketing and I graduated as part of Minerva's class of 2021. Enjoy a collage of reflections, poetry, and late-night thoughts. Archives
October 2023
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